WHAT DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION REAPS IN INDIA - A DIVIDEND OR A DISASTER

Demographic transition has been experienced by every country. Demographic dividend not only depends on changing age structure but also on human capital. With more people in the labor force and fewer children to support, a country has a window of opportunity for economic growth if the right social and economic investments and policies are made in health, education, governance and the economy. Indian economy has been experiencing a steady economic growth rate for the last two decades (though in recent times it shows a declining trend). The most significant feature of this growth phenomenon is that it has been service sector led growth and there has been a marked change in employment pattern. More skillful, technically sound, computer literate, vocationally trained human resources are required to achieve faster economic growth. The higher education system in India has undergone massive expansion in the postindependence period with a national resolution to establish several universities, technical institutes, research institutions professional and non-professional colleges across the country. After independence the Government of India laid stress on Primary Health Care and India has put in sustained efforts to better the health care system across the country. But Indian higher education system has certain limitations such as inadequate physical infrastructure, lack of quality and excellence & dearth of quality faculty members etc. The government initiative was not enough to meet the demands from a growing population be it in primary, secondary or tertiary health care. The present study tries to highlight whether India would be able to transform her favorable demographic structure into demographic dividend or face a disaster.