• Dr. Rajeshwari Malik

The oldest civilization in world the diverse nation India is a young nation today. India’s population is roughly 1.25 billion or 125 crore. About two thirds of our population is below the age of 35 years, an age limit that is generally considered to be the boundary of youth. India has roughly 830 million or 83 crore people below the age of 35 years. To put these numbers in perspective, India’s young population (that is below 35 years) is more than double the total population of USA. Interestingly India’s young population is roughly 10 crore (100 million) more than the total population of all the G7 countries combined. This situation presents our country with a golden opportunity with a potential to make us a real superpower. India's predominantly youth population is seen as a demographic dividend when many countries have aging populations. The advantages a nation can gain with young population is called demographic dividend. In the long term, economic growth is a function of the total number of workers and their average productivity. Although the number of workers are growing, labor productivity in the country is near stagnant. Moreover, the number of unemployed people is increasing every day. And while India does have a large and growing number of graduates, their quality, skill and employability remain a serious concern. The latest surveys conducted by various government and non-government agencies confirm once again that there is urgent need to make the entire twelve years of schooling a legal right. The surveys has thrown up worrisome trends that belie the media frenzy over Skill India, Digital India, Start Up India, Make in India, and Ek Bharat, Shreshta Bharat. This paper is an attempt to study the ground reality of the much hyped demographic dividend in India. The author tries to understand whether it is a myth or untapped potential in the hands of the government. How to get the optimum out of this dividend is also being explored.

Demographic Dividend, Employability, Underemployment, Disguised Unemployment, Workforce Shortage

"Critical Analysis of India’s Demographic Dividend in Twenty First Century", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 4, page no.453-467, April-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1904A69.pdf

"Critical Analysis of India’s Demographic Dividend in Twenty First Century", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 4, page no. pp453-467, April-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1904A69.pdf