3) Why are young people protesting?

The action against social media was only the spark. The main issues sit deeper in the economy and governance.

Detailed drivers

• Jobs and migration: Many graduates cannot find stable work that matches their skills. This leads to out-migration, breaking families and draining talent.

• Cost of living: Food, rent, and transport costs climb faster than incomes; young households feel squeezed.

• Corruption and “nepo” politics: A belief that insiders get favours—contracts, licenses, jobs—while ordinary youth stay stuck.

• Voice and dignity: Blanket online restrictions feel like silencing criticism rather than solving problems.

• Service delivery gap: Basic civic services (water, garbage, local roads, public transport) improve slowly; bills and fines rise faster than quality.

• Generational mismatch: Older political styles—slow, formal, distant—do not connect with fast, transparent, results-first expectations of Gen Z.

How the movement became big

• Digital organising: Messages spread in minutes; meeting points and protest “dos and don’ts” are shared easily.

• Simple, relatable slogans: “Jobs, justice, and dignity” is easy to understand; it cuts across class and region.

• Broad tent: Students, gig workers, shopkeepers, junior office staff, and even some older citizens joined, turning the protests into a mass voice.

4) India’s immediate concerns and the best course

Guiding principle (in one sentence): Be calm, give practical help, and avoid public partisanship. This protects India’s people, border, and goodwill—while respecting Nepal’s sovereignty.

A. Protect people first

• Issue clear travel advisories, set up 24×7 helplines, and coordinate safe passage for Indian tourists, pilgrims, students, and workers.

• Work quietly with local authorities for escorted movement in curfew zones when needed.

B. Keep the border soft, but orderly

• Avoid harsh, blanket closures; instead use managed time windows and priority lanes for essential goods and medical cases.

• Create joint dispute desks at major check-posts to handle driver delays, permits, and minor clashes on the spot.

C. Maintain essential supplies

• Put fuel, medicines, baby food, and life-saving equipment at the top of the queue.

• If the situation demands and Nepal requests, support tanker scheduling, warehouse space, or temporary logistics staff to prevent stock-outs.

D. Quiet, even-handed diplomacy

• Speak to all major actors—government, opposition, civil society—without taking sides.

• Encourage constitutional steps—dialogue, floor tests where needed, clear election timelines—decided by Nepalis, not suggested by India.

E. Information discipline

• Keep Indian public statements measured and factual; avoid any tone that sounds like pressure or endorsement of a particular camp.

• Let actions (help to people, steady trade) speak louder than words.

F. Youth-first cooperation (visible and positive)

• If Nepal is open to it, announce extra scholarships, skills tie-ups, cross-border apprenticeships, and startup exchange programmes in sectors like renewables, electronics repair, agro-processing, tourism, and hospitality.

• These are low-cost, high-trust steps that answer the youth question directly.

G. Contingency planning

• Prepare for short spikes in irregular migration or smuggling; strengthen joint patrolling with sensitivity.

• Keep medical teams, power support, and relief kits ready if humanitarian need arises and Nepal asks.

5) What both sides can do next

Nepal’s leadership (policy moves that show sincerity)

• Youth jobs plan with dates: Announce apprenticeships, local public works, and startup credit with clear timelines and monthly progress updates.

• Clean governance actions: Fast-track a few high-profile corruption cases to verdict; roll out e-procurement, digital payments, and public dashboards to reduce bribe-seeking.

• Smart digital rules: Replace blanket bans with narrow, lawful, time-bound measures for genuine harms, plus independent oversight.

• Lawful policing: Publish guidelines on crowd control; share weekly arrest and release figures; open grievance windows for excesses.

• Political roadmap: If leadership changes, publish firm dates for floor tests or elections and stick to them.

India (supportive, not intrusive)

• Trade and transit: Keep essential corridors open; set priority slots for perishables and health cargo; resolve driver paperwork quickly.

• Tourism and power trade: Plan to revive pilgrim routes and tourism early; deepen cross-border electricity trade to give Nepal stable revenue and India green power.

• Digital public goods: Offer technical help to build e-procurement, payment rails, digital ID use-cases—these reduce leakages and make budgets work for citizens.

• People programmes: Expand scholarships, skills, and internships for Nepali youth; link seats to sunrise sectors so training leads to jobs.

6) UPSC exam kit

High-yield points 

• “Gen Z’s coup” = youth surge in politics, not a military action.

• Drivers: jobs, prices, corruption, and online restrictions; digital natives organise fast.

• India’s stakes: open border, supplies, security, and regional balance.

• Best Indian course: calm + practical help + no partisanship; back constitutional steps; keep essentials moving; invest in youth-first cooperation.

• Way forward: time-bound job actions, clean governance, smart digital rules, lawful policing, clear political timelines.

Mains Practice (200–250 words)
“Youth-led protests in Nepal reveal a gap between aspirations and delivery. With an open border and deep social ties, how should India balance values, interests, and sensitivities?”
Hints:

• Start with trigger vs. deeper causes; show why youth anger is broad-based.

• List India’s stakes: people flows, trade lines, security and regional balance.

• Recommend: quiet, even-handed diplomacy; managed border with priority lanes for essentials; helplines and safe passage for Indians; youth cooperation (skills, scholarships, startups); digital public goods to fight corruption.

• Caution: avoid visible partisanship; avoid harsh closures.

• End: a calm, neighbour-sensitive approach protects both countries.

One-line wrap
Back calm, not camps: keep the border steady, essentials flowing, and invest in youth-first cooperation that outlasts any single government.