Who are India's NEET youth? What NITI's 8.7 crore figure really tells us

During election coverage, a common refrain among older folks is their concern that young people are sitting at home without jobs, sometimes not even looking for one, happily scrolling through reels. Talk to young people and they often speak of a lack of coherent job opportunities or the skills that match the demands of the market.These often-heard anecdotes are given a more coherent shape in Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047, a new report from the government's policy think tank NITI Aayog. The report attempts a candid diagnosis of where India is, and how it can become a developed nation by 2047, the centenary of Independence.Beyond merely ticking boxes on broad numbers of people trained, the report examines the barriers that determine whether skilling actually leads to work. Money, information, mobility, family circumstances, access to institutions and exposure to the workplace all matter.