Is all well with sustainability in India? The Cockroach Janata movement thinks not and mustn’t be ignored

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The issues raised by these impassioned voices should be taken up by the government and translated to remedial action.

Summary

Its swift success should nudge the government to take a close look at India’s sustainable development model. The range of national issues raised by the youth deserve attention, and here’s how the government could address the anxiety being aired.

The success of a youth movement under the banner of the Cockroach Janata Party should serve as a wake-up call for India’s government to address some issues highlighted by it: the difficult pass which the education system finds itself in; declining employment opportunities in the country; corruption at various levels; a society fractured along community, caste and class lines; and others.

The movement’s Instagram account shows over 22 million followers—a number that’s much larger than the sample of about 260,000 used by the National Sample Survey Office for its large surveys. No doubt, the two cannot be compared, as the Cockroach social-media sample is self-selected and not statistically representative, but it does offer us a pulse-reading of India’s youth.

The causes espoused by the movement are notable in the context of debates over India’s performance on sustainability metrics. The 2023-24 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) report by Niti Aayog assessed India’s sustainability score to have increased from 66 (2020-21) to 71 out of 100.

Paradoxically, the most impressive improvements pertained to goals such as poverty elimination (SDG 1), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), climate action (SDG 13) and life on land (SDG 15), while these are also some of the most significant areas of youth angst revealed by the movement.

Education and its quality define the opportunities that are open to India’s youth. In 2022, the Youth Declaration at the Transforming Education Summit called upon national decision-makers to invest in youth and student leadership and support their representation.

The 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report by Unesco and others states that the youth “want their voices to be heard” and want “to be engaged meaningfully on issues that affect their present and future, notably on education.” A survey found that only “one in three report having a formal requirement in place to engage youth or students in education decision-making.”

And, even when youth and student organizations have a seat at the table (largely in developed countries), they often perceive a lack of genuine will to listen to them.

India has instituted various ‘reforms’ in its educational system—from curriculum changes and governance of educational institutions to the regulatory framework itself. The engagement of stakeholders in this process needs evaluation, though.

While education and its quality will shape India’s future workforce, it is the nature of economic growth that determines the creation of job opportunities.

India has boasted of strong economic growth and a rapid (if partially illusory) rise in its global economic ranking, but researchers and experts have been highlighting the skewed nature of this growth—40% of India’s wealth is held by 1% of its population—and job scarcity.

Nearly three-quarters of India’s workforce works in the informal sector, while a skills mismatch is increasing; only a little over 40% of India’s graduates are considered ‘employable.’ India’s youth stare at a future of fears around economic concentration, artificial intelligence (especially its impact on jobs) and dwindling natural resources. They need the reassurance of these issues being addressed.

The deep concern of the youth about sustainability is reflected in perceptions of inadequate attention being paid to both medium- and long-term vulnerabilities caused by environmental stressors, including air pollution, water shortages, poor waste management and climate inaction.

These stressors will have consequences such as increased mortality, but they also impact the household budgets of India’s better-off as expenses go up on air purifiers and air conditioners.

For most of India’s people, deteriorating weather and climatic conditions are an increasing source of anxiety, given the limited effect of independent adaptation measures.

India’s youth have long been touted as the source of India’s ‘demographic dividend.’ But, contrary to the ‘ask’ in the GEM report, they neither have a significant voice in decision-making that involves their future—be it education, employment or resource management—nor are they being groomed for leadership.

Universities, political institutions, street protests, digital platforms and civil society organizations serve as arenas where young people shape the national discourse on education, both formally and informally, both as individuals and as part of movements.

University campuses in India have historically demonstrated their potential as vibrant spaces for youth curiosity, expression and experimentation. Such vitality in academic institutions is needed for them to serve as petri-dishes for engagement with governance, while reviving the role of civil society organizations as a bridge between the grassroots and governments.

The Cockroach Janata movement began as a satirical response to remarks made in mid-May by the Chief Justice of India, and within weeks, it has nudged young Indians to take a greater interest in (and control of) their own future.

The issues raised by these impassioned voices should be taken up by the government and translated to remedial action. Their plea for increased transparency and freedom of speech needs to be recognized for the value it holds for India’s socio-economic performance.

Involving India’s youth to define a remedial agenda would be a great start.

The author is an independent expert on climate change and clean energy.