India, Oct. 9 -- A few years ago, India crossed a demographic milestone that received far less attention than it deserved. It became home to one of the world's largest young populations, a shift often discussed in economic forecasts but less often in terms of how policies are actually made. Inside classrooms, students debate national issues with a seriousness that may surprise many observers of formal policymaking. But in the places where laws and budgets are shaped, those same ideas do not always reach decision-makers in time.

That gap points to an important reality. How India connects what young people discuss in classrooms and communities with actual policy action may be one of the key governance challenges of this generation. The act...