Population Growth in India

In the 70's, India's growing population was an issue of concern everywhere, including India. Over time, this concern has disappeared, to be replaced by excitement about the growing population. India has successfully converted its population from a liability to an asset. Greater population means more consumers, and more workers. India is pointed out as having a greater potential for success compared to its fellow emerging economy - China. The reason is that India's population is younger, and many more people in India will enter the workforce in the next few years.

There is no evidence, however, that population is not going to be a problem. There is a little more on this at:
http://sai-os.blogspot.com/2007/06/is-population-growth-on-planet-no.html

Today's Financial Times carried on OpEd piece by Victor Mallet. It is available on many websites, including this one.
http://in.rediff.com/money/2007/dec/06utop.htm


Here are important points:

1. "The population surge that will increase the workforce to 800m by 2016 and make India the world's most populous nation - may turn out to be more of a threat than an opportunity."
2. "Who will create the jobs to absorb the net increase of 71m young people of working age over the next five years? Most are poorly educated and only a fraction will find regular work.
3. It questions about their impact on the supply of water and fuel.
4. Eventually, these people will retire; who will take care of them

The OpEd piece correctly concludes that the optimists have taken over, failing to do anything about this issue. It is time that the authorities and the people in India start taking the issue seriously again.