Goa BJP's youth policy: Pride in motherland, 'ethical' use of social media

Panaji: Even as RSS man Dinanath Batra’s controversial books which recommend sanskars like feeding cows and abhors blowing candles on birthdays make inroads in schools in BJP-ruled Gujarat, the Goa government is readying a dose of nationalism and ‘values’ to the youth here. [caption id=“attachment_1692775” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] A new draft Goa state youth policy formulated by the state’s ministry sports and youth affairs wants youngsters to be sensitized towards ethical use of the social media and restore eroding “nationalistic values”, while also addressing other more relevant issues like creating ground for zero tolerance to sexual offences against women and working towards skill enhancement of the young workforce. The draft policy aimed at the population group up to 35 years, which accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the state’s 1.5 million population, is being placed in public domain for suggestions and positions itself as a vision document for the younger generation; its objective to be achieved over three stages. Formulated under the leadership Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government’s Sports and Youth Affairs minister Ramesh Tawadkar, the draft policy has identified nationalism as one of the “thrust” areas which needs working on. “Erosion of nationalist values in the minds of our youth is an issue of great concern. It is therefore the inherent need of the hour to correct this scenario and inculcate values of nationalism, patriotism and the sense of belongingness to our motherland,” the draft reads, while also underlining a need for a common platform for social-tolerance and inclusiveness. It advocates “creation of an environment that is conducive for inculcation of rich nationalistic values and patriotism among Goan youth”. The BJP swept aside the Congress to rise to power in 2012. A decimated and discredited political opposition and a cowered media have not managed expose the subsequent sting of failures of the BJP-led coalition government to deliver on promises of good governance. But the one sphere where the party has received a battering has been the social media, where the saffron party despite its army of online sympathisers, has not managed to snuff out dissent. Now, the draft youth policy appears to have a ‘vision’ for the social media by trying to get youngsters to use it “ethically”. “Providing exposure to youth in responsible and ethical use of social media,” is one of the recommendations made in the draft policy. A recent attempt in July by the Goa government’s education ministry to create awareness about the internet and cyber ethics among the students and teachers, involved presentation modules made by a Karnataka-based teaching aid institute, which suggested that watching porn often led to homosexuality, virginity led to happy marriages and that abortion should be banned, because it amounted to murder. While promising to develop a “standardized syllabus for value education”, the policy recommends courses on “spirituality and value education” for youngster from 13 years to 21 years in order to “strengthen spiritual foundation and value education among youth” with an eye on creating a “value-based” citizenry for the future. The draft policy is however vague and does not define or elaborate on what values will be imparted to the students, nor does it expound much on the discourse of nationalism which it wants to instill in the young minds and hearts. While making more relevant points like grooming Goa’s youngsters to be zero tolerant vis a vis crimes against women, skill development, the draft policy also aims at creating awareness about “social evils and vices”. The draft policy comes at a time when the BJP in Goa is being increasingly accused of indulging in Hindu right-wing politics in a state where Christians account for around 26 per cent of the state’s population. In more recent times, the Goa government has expressed its intentions, and in some case funded through budgetary allocation, an academy for study in security and strategic for the Forum for Integrated National Security (FINS) promoted by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue Indresh Kumar. Yoga Guru Ramdev is also expected to be allowed access to the state’s government schools for setting up yoga classes across Goa.