Do not let demographic dividend becoming liability: President

Source: PTI

President Pranab Mukherjee said government needs to focus on skill development to prevent the demographic dividend from becoming a liability and an explosive situation. He said that India is a population of 1.28 billion and this population is increasing substantially.

"More often we use one phrase India's advantage - demographic dividend. Why do we use this phrase demographic divided because India has the largest number of working age population in the world," he said while inaugurating the first edition of 'India Skills' in New Delhi on Friday.

"This question is staring at us, unless we handle it appropriately and in time, this population dividend may be population liability and the situation may be explosive...either it is to be defused or it is to be converted into advantage," he added.

He also announced the launch of five major initiatives of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). These include restructured version of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, India International Skill Centres, India Skills Online and a Labour Management Information System.

The President said all these initiatives aim at upgrading and imparting skills in youth. He said that more than 62 per cent of India's population is in the working age group; 54 per cent is below the age of 25.

"That means India is a young nation of young population and that gives the advantage and described the demographic dividend as that advantage," he added. Mukherjee emphasized on the importance of providing employment to 15 million people who are entering into the job market every year within a reasonable span of time. This is correct to have a ministry specially accountable and responsible for this herculean task and to forecast on the development of skill, he said.

"For the development of skill, we have launched some initiatives and launched the platform of India skills," he added.

"I am quite confident that it would be possible for us to truly convert the demographic dividend which we have and we will be able to avoid a very serious implication of demographic dividend being converted into demographic liability and creating an explosive situation," he said.