Delhi Police’s ‘Yuva’ Move: From Patrolling Streets to Patrolling Futures

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In a big initiative to counter school dropout and divert youth away from crime, Delhi Police will soon start conducting door-to-door visits of students who have dropped out of government schools, providing counselling and career advice as part of a new city-wide project.

Key Highlights:

The Delhi administration has asked the Education Department to develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) for automatically reporting dropout information to Delhi Police every six months. Police would then probe why each child dropped out and personally contact them at their homes.
The move seeks to detect students who are likely to become idle or vulnerable upon exiting schools. Police personnel will guide these youngsters and provide them with opportunities for skill development and career paths, particularly under the ongoing "Yuva" scheme.
The Yuva scheme, operated since 2017 in association with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, offers employment-oriented training in various fields such as mobile repair, beauty, data entry, and others. More than 9,000 youth have been trained to date, with more than 4,500 getting placed.
The initiative follows statistics that indicated 85% of last year's crime participants were first-time offenders, who were mostly school dropouts. Through early intervention, the police aim to curb crime and provide vulnerable youth with an alternative direction.

The initiative also involves the establishment of anti-drug and boys' clubs in schools, engaging at-risk youth further in positive activities and skill development.

Source: Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Times of India