Amidst the Gen Z protests, the new Public Examination (Amendment) Bill, and the tug of war between the government, young students and the Opposition in Parliament, a private member’s Bill seeking Constitutional status for a permanently established National Commission for Youth, moved by NDA ally Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP Arun Bharti, was listed for business in the Lok Sabha on Friday (July 31, 2026).
While the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day well before lunch and Private Member’s Business scheduled for the afternoon could not be taken up, the Bill and the party moving it provide an interesting insight into how one of the NDA allies thinks about the issue of youth unemployment.
The Bill proposes the constitution of a National Commission of Youth with Constitutional status to make it the nodal agency for “mitigating complex issues like youth unemployment by formulating structured national policies that support skill development, entrepreneurship, idea incubation and specialised financing for young innovators.”
The last time such a commission was constituted by the government was between 2002 and 2004. The non-statutory body was wound up in 2004. Since then, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has been dealing with government programmes with regard to young people.
Inspired by Chirag Paswan
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Bharti, a prominent LJP MP, said that the Bill had been two years in the making and was inspired by Union Minister and LJP leader Chirag Paswan’s initiatives with regard to young people.
“Chirag Paswan has been speaking about the youth and their issues since 2014, and for the last two years, I have been working on this Bill, which was finally listed for Friday. But since the House has not been functioning, it could not be introduced,” he said.
The Bill refers to the “multidimensional challenges” facing the youth and notes that their sheer numbers, if their concerns are left unaddressed, could lead to complex socio-economic issues, such as structural unemployment.”
In fact, during the debate over the Public Examinations (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday (July 28) and Wednesday (July 29), Mr. Bharti had advocated certain amendments that were sensitive to students’ concerns. For example, the guarantee that in case of an examination paper leak, the retest should be conducted within a month, that the exam calendar should be maintained, that students would not suffer the loss of an academic year due to paper leaks and that those appearing for their final attempts would get an additional attempt.
As the protests by students escalated in New Delhi during the last week of July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced measures including the setting up of fast-track courts, amendments to the Public Examinations Act of 2024, and greater outreach on Instagram, a platform widely used by young people.
For the LJP, however, youth anxieties appear to be more immediate than they are to its dominant ally, the BJP,—a point that should be taken on board soon.
Published – July 31, 2026 06:00 pm IST
