Page 109 - GHES-3-3

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability

PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE
COVID-19 and youth volunteering: Trajectory

and structure of India’s National Service Scheme

Lalitha Subramanian * , Mohammad Niyaz Ahmad 2 , and Ajeet Kumar Pankaj 3
1
1 Department of Social Work, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Ministry of Youth
Affairs and Sports, Government of India, Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, India
2 Department of Management Studies, School of Management, Swami Vivekanand University,
Barrackpore, Kolkata, India
3 Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IISER, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on
people worldwide, including in India, where disadvantaged and marginalized
populations reliant on institutional support were worse affected. In this context,
healthcare and sanitation workers played a crucial role in addressing pressing
health and sanitation needs. India’s National Service Scheme (NSS) fosters youth
leadership through various programs and activities, with volunteering being a core
component of its social services since its establishment. Conventionally, the NSS has
Academic editor: been engaged in raising awareness about health issues and promoting community
Mihajlo Jakovljevic M.D. Ph.D. MAE
development; however, its visibility and effectiveness were diminished during the
*Corresponding author: pandemic. This situation prompts an examination of the preparedness and capacity
Lalitha Subramanian
(lalitha.rgniyd@gov.in) of NSS volunteers to effectively respond to community needs and manage health
crises. Good health and well-being is one of the sustainable development goals, and
Citation: Subramanian, L., Ahmad, the United Nations recognizes that achieving these goals is challenging without the
M.N., & Pankaj, A.K. (2025).
COVID-19 and youth volunteering: active participation of youth. This study uses the institutional change model to analyze
Trajectory and structure of India’s the current framework and roles of the NSS, exploring the potential of institutional
National Service Scheme. Global and policy reforms in enhancing the participation of NSS youth volunteers in public
Health Econ Sustain, 3(3):101-110.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.4717 health efforts, especially in tackling issues such as COVID-19. In addition, the study
Submitted: August 30, 2024 offers perspectives on current weaknesses in the organization, mobilization, and
training of youth as a cohesive unit within community health systems, which may
Revised: November 11, 2024 prevent them from responding effectively during times of crisis.
Accepted: November 20, 2024
Published online: December 17, Keywords: Civic engagement; Community interventions; Coronavirus disease 2019;
2024
National Service Scheme; Public health; Social work
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution, 1. Introduction
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is Youth is a critical transitional stage and represents a significant demographic for
properly cited. potential involvement in civic activities, as observed by Burr et al. (2002). Since gaining
Publisher’s Note: AccScience independence, India has launched numerous initiatives aimed at empowering youth to
Publishing remains neutral with enhance their leadership capabilities and foster volunteerism. A notable example is the
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional National Service Scheme (NSS), which provides a structured framework for developing
affiliations. youth leadership and promoting volunteer activities, as emphasized by the Ministry of

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 101 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.4717