The debate is open.The largest young population of India - a peforming asset or more investment needed?

The largest young population of India - a peforming asset or more investment needed?



Having the largest number of citizens in the 25-35 age category should generally augur well for the future of any Nation. Being an Indian, I would love to belive this to be true. But there are questions that linger within for over 5-7 years in the ineer reccesses of the mind.

Since the late '50s, the Indian rich and Middle Income Groups have voluntarily restricted their family size to 2-3. On the other hand, it is the poor, both rural and urban, who have continued unabated with large families. It appears logical that most of the numbers belonging to the targetted age group may belong to the poor segment.

We are aware that India ranks among the lowest interms of HDI among the Developing Nations - even within BRIC. Therefore, the issues to be considered are

1. Distribution across the income stratification?

2. Literacy - distribution across Primary, Secondary and Tertiary levels of education.

3. Food - It is a fact that most of the landless rural poor go without 2 square meals a day.

4. Housing - The urban poor cannot afford anything more than dwelling on platforms or in hutments. The ruarl poor do live in huts that are not all-weather proof.

5. Healthcare - When it comes to health, the poor have two to contend with two issues - one the cost of quality health care (non-existent for them) and the second, the distance to ravel to the nearest Hospital in case of emergencies.

We have more issues like spending on infrastructure, affordable health insurance, social security, etc.,

Reverting to HDI, the Indian Government and the State Governments have spent collossal sums in creating infrastructure like roads, elctricity, transport, primary health centers, schools, etc., not to mention the plethora of subsidies and directed lendings for the less privileged.

It is a known fact that not even 25% of govt. spending has percolated down.

Which means that we may have Primary Schools, Primary Health Centers and subsidized distribution of foodgrains to through the Public Distribution systems.

The word "Quality" is a point of debate. And "two square meals a day" still remains a pipedream.

Having set the parameters, let me also look at the flip side of keeping the vast majority of the young population in the category of "the poor".

The recent elections have shown that moneypower has come to play the most predominant role for wannabe politicians.

And musclepower is a subset of moneypower.

When we talk of musclepower, brushes with the criminal side of the society is inevitable.

The young population is the hiring ground - for those seeking to augment muscle power. There is quick money and the poor are most vulnerable.

India has the largest number of young population in the world. But where are they headed?

The debate is open.