33 Journal of Management & Public Policy Vol. 4, No. 1, December 2012, pp. 33-41 ISSN (Print): 0976-013X ISSN (Online): 0976-0148 Knowledge Production & Dissemination: An Analysis in the Context of the National Youth Policy P. Sivakumar Post-Doctoral Fellow, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India E-mail: babuskumar@gmail.com Abstract Great institutions or traditional universities of Takshashila, Nalanda etc. have played a great role in knowledge production and dissemination in societies during different stages of civilizational transition. The institutional context has undergone dramatic changes in modern societies. In India, for considering a specific context of knowledge sharing and knowledge management, one of the national policies of the government is an appropriate choice for the production and dissemination of knowledge through development institutions. The National Youth Policy 2003 and the subsequent exposure draft of National Youth Policy 2012, released recently by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, recognizes that an inter-sectoral approach is a pre-requisite for dealing with youth-related issues. It, therefore, advocates the establishment of a coordinating mechanism among the various Central Government Ministries and Departments and the community-based organizations and youth bodies for facilitating convergence in youth-related schemes, developing integrated policy initiatives for youth programmes. This paper examines the policy perspective of development institutions in India in the context of the National Youth Policy and its contribution towards knowledge production and dissemination for the development of the nation. This paper tries to find the answer to critical questions like what sort of knowledge is being produced by development institutions and how it reflects in society by following the dictum: knowledge for development, and what changes institutions were able to make through the National Youth Policy. Introduction and Background In every societys groǁth, deǀelopŵeŶtal iŶstitutioŶs – ǁhether it ďe Platos AĐadeŵLJ or traditional universities, such as the Nalanda and the Takshashila or Taxila – played a great role. The exercise of knowledge production and dissemination was considered pivotal in advancing the society. The institutional context has undergone dramatic changes in modern societies. The role played by development institutions in understanding how societies acquire and adapt knowledge and thus placing knowledge at the centre of development has led to paradigm changes in development process. The duty of every development institution is to place knowledge at the centre of development and disseminating the same in such a way that it is easily accessible by underprivileged sections in the society, because it is the