Day 22 – Q 4.Identify the key priority areas that need policy impetus to reap India’s demographic dividend.

4. Identify the key priority areas that need policy impetus to reap India’s demographic dividend. 

भारत के जनसांख्यिकीय लाभांश को पुनः प्राप्त करने के लिए नीतिगत प्रोत्साहन की आवश्यकता वाले प्रमुख प्राथमिकता वाले क्षेत्रों की पहचान करें।

Introduction:

Demographic dividend refers to the growth in an economy that is the result of a change in the age structure of a country’s population. The change in age structure is typically brought on by a decline in fertility and mortality rates.

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India has one of the youngest populations in an ageing world. By 2020, the median age in India will be just 28. Demographics can change the pace and pattern of economic growth. While China’s spectacular growth has already benefited from a demographic dividend, India is yet to do so.

Accordingly, UNFPA advocates a differential approach in forward-looking policymaking and programme planning to harness the demographic dividend opportunity.

• The focus in the states where the window is closing soon (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi, Gujarat etc.,) will have to be on ageing and migrant-friendly policies and programmes
• The focus in the states where the window is open and will close in the next 10-15 years(Karnataka, Odisha, Haryana, Assam etc.,) will have to be on empowering girls and women, provisioning of health, education and skill development for young people, and employment generation.
• The focus in the states where the window is yet to open (Chattisgarh, UP, Bihar etc.,) will have to be threefold—addressing harmful practices such as child marriage, access to quality sexual and reproductive health services and family planning services to all, and provisioning of health, education, life and vocational skills to all the young people.

On the whole, the key priority areas to reap India’s demographic dividend are:

Nutrition mission:

• Around two-thirds of the working population in India are earning 13% less than other normal working people because of stunting in childhood— being excessively short for their age—one of the world’s highest such reductions in per capita income.
• key nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions such as exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding and micronutrient supplementation are the need of the hour.

Education:

• India is home to the world’s largest concentration of illiterate people in the world. It has made gains in human development, but challenges remain, including big barriers to secondary schooling, low-quality public services, and gender discrimination.
• The draft National Education Policy 2019 provides for reforms at all levels of education from school to higher education. It seeks to increase the focus on early childhood care, reform the current exam system, strengthen teacher training, and restructure the education regulatory framework.

Employment:

• Lack of jobs combined with a demographic dividend will increase the share of the population that is dependent on the working population. This will increase the economic insecurity of the elderly, as there will be fewer people generating wealth.
• Removing structural bottlenecks to the manufacturing sector is key to promoting job creation in more productive and better-paid activities

 Providing Skills:

• According to the National Sample Survey, out of the 470 million people of working age in India, only 10% receive any kind of training or access to skilled employment opportunities.
• Though recent initiatives such as “Skill India Mission” aim to train and create an employable skilled talent pool of 500 million people by 2020, there still is a long way to go.

Human capital:

• Investing in people through healthcare, quality education, jobs and skills helps build human capital, which is key to supporting economic growth, ending extreme poverty, and creating more inclusive societies. 
• There is a need to invest in research and analysis which will help build relevant training modules and syllabi as per the changing industry requirements.

Conclusion:

Fine-tuning the planning and implementation of schemes and programmes by factoring in population dynamics is likely to yield greater socio-economic impact and reaping the demographic dividend.