“Youth
is above all a collection of opportunities. Give me a generation of youth and I
will transform the whole world” Said the Vladimir Lenin, the great leader of
the Russian revolution.
Today India is a young nation, with 605 million people under the age of 25.This means that for the next 60 yrs. we would have a youthful, dynamic and productive workforce when the rest of the world including china is ageing.
Gone
are the days when India’s population growth was considered only a curse.
Today
the buzz word in the world about India is Demographic dividend, which is
nothing but a period in time when a faster growth of employable population or
labour force takes place as compared to overall population.
According
to economists this dividend usually lasts for half a century. In
the coming years we are going to have a pool of young citizens capable of
working, earning, saving and spending. This fact has made the eyes of the world
turn towards India.
The
economic advantage our young population could harness is beyond imagination.
But
we face a lot of roadblocks.
Our
Human development index ranking is still among the lowest 3rd world countries. No Doubt literacy rates have increased
but the number of skilled and employable workforce has not seen a proportionate
growth.
If
we do not step up to the moment and prepare our young generation our
demographic dividend may end up being a demographic disaster.
To
meet the challenge , we need to have better school education, quality of higher
education has to be improved, industries need to be set up to increase the job
opportunities , and skilled workers need to be trained to meet the demands of
the industries. Entrepreneurship needs to be encouraged so that more and more
opportunities are created with time.
The
Holy Bible says…
“There
is a time for everything, there is a time to sow and there is a time to
harvest…”
This,
friends is India’s time to sow or invest time, money and material in the youth
of this country to reap the benefits in future. . Young Men and women need to
be able to spend a worthy life here in India.
If the young generation of India is transformed into a
population of skilled efficient professionals, let there be no doubt, we will be
a superpower in the coming future.
We
alone stand the chance to be the shining young face of the earth for the next
half a century.
My
dear friends, Todays empowered youth is the foundation stone for tomorrow’s
powerful India. India
today is undergoing a youth bulge. It’s neither just a challenge not just an
opportunity but it’s a challenging yet golden opportunity that Indians must
harness.
The
youth of this country have very high demands and I am sure the governments
would strive to meet every bit of it. However, if
this does not happen then not only would the nation fail to benefit from the
dividend but it shall also become home to the largest number of frustrated
youth. Instead of development there shall be unprecedented human capital
flight. This would be an anti-climax in the truest sense of the term. India’s
growth will remain stagnant, if not deteriorate, at a time when brain-drain
from India shall spur other economies of the world.
But
let these word of John F Kennedy ring in the ears of every young and ambitious
man and woman…
“Ask
not what your country can do for you
Ask what you can do for your country.”
Ask what you can do for your country.”
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