Our distinctive demographic dividend may push us to this enviable place. However the subsequent 30 years are crucial – we may both turn out to be the good civilization we had been, or we must wait one other 100 years earlier than this chance arises once more.
By Prof. Atul Khosla,
I grew up listening to that India in historic occasions was a ‘Sone ki Chidiya’ – a golden hen – economically and socially manner forward of its peer civilizations and the world’s cradle of data. Most of you’d have heard related tales. Is that this true? Have been there actually rivers of milk flowing within the nation? I don’t know of the previous, however India within the subsequent 30 years can certainly be this “Sone ki Chidiya” we’ve got all dreamt of – an economically wealthy, pleased and highly effective nation.
Our distinctive demographic dividend may push us to this enviable place. However the subsequent 30 years are crucial – we may both turn out to be the good civilization we had been, or we must wait one other 100 years earlier than this chance arises once more.
So what is that this demographic dividend? Is it actually a boon? And what may we do to seize the chance? And the way does analysis match into the answer?
What’s the demographic dividend?
Demographic dividend is the financial progress potential that outcomes from a younger productive inhabitants. Extra working folks means extra financial progress. Japan from 1964 – 2004 was among the many first main economies of the world to expertise fast progress from an identical demographic dividend.
India is younger. Our common age is below 30 years. Examine this to China at 38, Western Europe at 45 and Japan at 49. There are extra working-age Indians (age 15 to 65), than Indians above the age of 65.
Is that this our alternative? Identical to Japan, can India transfer by means of fast industrialization and growth? The reply is sure, however this demographic dividend benefit for India is anticipated to final just for the subsequent thirty years. Publish 2055, the curves will change, and India will turn out to be an growing old nation.
Is demographic dividend actually a boon?
India’s demographic dividend is a two-edged sword. It may possibly have an enormous constructive impression if our rising working-age inhabitants finds “excessive worth” employment, and never simply jobs. However India’s expertise on this side is relatively poor. We proceed to have excessive unemployment. A lot of our extremely educated engineers and college graduates proceed to be unemployable.
Can analysis assist seize the demographic dividend?
Excessive-end jobs won’t come from low-end actions. India must transfer up the worth chain and quickly transition from a manufacturing and agriculture primarily based economic system to a analysis and innovation led economic system. The duty is big however not unattainable.
Luck is by India’s facet. A brand new alternative has emerged. A brand new revolution has began – the digital revolution. The foundations of the digital world are completely different from the economic world. And that is India’s alternative – to construct a world management place, and within the course of, create hundreds of thousands of latest high-end jobs. In hi-tech, agriculture, healthcare, information analytics and monetary providers amongst others. Nonetheless, america with trillion greenback corporations reminiscent of Amazon, Google and Apple is already profitable this race. China and South Korea are a detailed second. Can India catch up?
Analysis can assist India leapfrog this race and turn out to be a world beater. Investments in Universities and Larger training Establishments drives analysis and innovation. India has a terrific place to begin. We now want to remodel our Universities as envisaged by the NEP and produce analysis into our undergraduate training.
Analysis will assist make India one of many biggest digital economies of the world. Or like the economic revolution, will India miss this chance once more? Solely time will inform!
(The writer is Founder & Vice- Chancellor of Shoolini College. Views expressed are private and don’t replicate the official place or coverage of the Monetary Categorical On-line.)
