Demographic dividend is often cited
as a panacea for the over-populated developing countries. It is often assumed
that the population is actually not a burden and the part of the population in
the working age group shall be productive and contribute towards economic
growth. This in turn will have domino effect on all socio-economic
developmental dimensions. Over-enthusiasts often project that a young
population of a billion will translate into a pair of billion working hands. However,
human beings are not machines. A billion young hands are not same as a billion
machines. All humans have different capabilities and sometimes these capabilities
have to be developed also. Education and skill development are two important
aspects of this development process which can transform the potential of
population into real tangible demographic dividend. Without doing so, the
potential demographic dividend may turn out to be a demographic burden instead as a billion pair of hands also come with a billion mouths to feed.
Behavioral dimension of the population has also become increasingly important.
Punjab is an example. If the behavior of the young population is allowed to go
awry, prospects of demographic dividend dim even further.
