Poll to check out what Pondicherry youth want

Puducherry: Trust for Youth and Child Leadership (TYCL), a non profit organisation, is working on youth centred manifesto for the coming Assembly election in Puducherry. Realising that there is a huge gap between the needs of young people and proposals made by political parties and the government, TYCL has initiated a poll to find out the real need of youth in Puducherry.

“This process is not to blame and criticise parties and the government. It is to understand the needs and expectations of youth and they are responding well to the poll,” said Dr Siva Mathiyalagan, co-founder of TYCL.

TYCL will submit its report to all leading parties and hopes this process will help young people to understand the constraints and challenges of the government as well as importance of their participation in governance process.

“Unemployment rate in Puducherry is very high, and also youth suicide rate. There can be a connection. Real problems of youth and children stay unaddressed,” said Bhasker, a resident of Muthialpet constituency in Puducherry.

“Educated youth have to go to Chennai or Bengaluru to get a job on low salaries,” said A. Praveena, employee of a Chennai-based IT company.

TYCL is planning to complete its poll in February so that it can be submitted to political parties before they prepare their election manifesto.

TYCL is a voluntary non-profit organisation started and run by Pondicherry University scholars and students with the support of local college student volunteers.