India's demographic dividend can become a demographic burden unless legislatures actively include youth voices. Examine.

Opening the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in October 2026, Speaker Om Birla said Parliaments must listen to youth and meet their hopes with "meaningful opportunities, dignity" [1]. Over 65% of Indians are under 35 [2]. A demographic dividend is the growth boost from a large working-age population. India gets it only if young people find productive work and a say in the laws that shape their lives.

How the dividend can turn into a burden

• Joblessness: in 2025, unemployment among youth aged 15–29 was 9.9%, and 13.6% in cities [3]. Idle labour means lost output and higher dependency.
• Policy mismatch: laws on exams, jobs, education and digital rules affect the young most. Made without hearing them, these laws risk poor fit and public distrust.
• Democratic alienation: young voters who find no responsive channel may turn to street protest or drop out of politics, which weakens social cohesion.

Why legislatures miss youth voices

• Age gap: the average age of an MP in the 18th Lok Sabha is 56, and only 11% of MPs are 40 or younger [4]. Article 84 lets citizens contest at 25, and three 25-year-olds won in 2024 [4]. The barrier is party ticketing, not law.
• Committee route underused: only 16% of bills went to committees in the 17th Lok Sabha, lower than in the previous three [5]. Committees are where students, workers and experts can submit their views.
• Fewer sittings: the 17th Lok Sabha met only 274 times. Only four earlier Lok Sabhas met less, and all four were dissolved early [5].

How legislatures can include youth

• Refer youth-heavy bills to standing committees, with open calls for submissions from students and young workers.
• Youth parliaments and e-petitions linked to committee agendas, not held as one-off events.
• Younger candidates: parties should field more of them, and Parliament should publish age-wise data on MPs as tracked under SDG indicator 16.7.1 [6].
• Peer learning: use forums like BRICS to share good practice on youth consultation [1].

Jobs decide whether the dividend pays off, and youth voice shapes the policies that create those jobs. A Parliament older than the nation it serves must listen harder, through committees, consultations and younger candidates. This would turn Birla's call for outcomes over rhetoric [1] into practice and serve the Preamble's ideal of justice and SDG 16.7's goal of inclusive decision-making [6]. Done this way, India's youth stay an asset, not a burden.