Sociology
Human Development
13
CHAPTER
conomic growth though important cannot be an end in itself. Higher standards of living as well as of development opportunities for all, stemming from the greater resources generated by economic growth, are the ultimate aim of development policy. This implies the need to bridge regional, social and economic disparities, as well as the empowerment of the poor and marginalized, especially women, to make the entire development process more inclusive. The draft Twelfth Five Year Plan's subtitle 'Faster, More Inclusive and Sustainable Growth', puts the growth debate in the right perspective. The government's targeted policies for the poor, with the prospect of fewer leakages, can help better translate outlays into outcomes.
E
13.2 The global economic and financial crisis which has persisted for the last five years has not only exposed the vulnerability of almost all the countries over the globe to external shocks, but also has lessons for development planning. Countries need to have inbuilt social safety nets for facing such eventualities, which affect the weak and vulnerable the most, and wipe out the fruits of growth for years. India with its focus on inclusive development and timely interventions has, however, been able to weather the crisis better than many other countries. 13.3 India is on the brink of a demographic revolution with the proportion of working-age population between 15 and 59 years likely to increase from approximately 58 per cent in 2001 to more than 64 per cent by 2021, adding approximately 63.5 million new entrants to the working age group between 2011 and 2016, the bulk of whom will be in the relatively younger age group of 20-35 years. Given that it is one of the youngest large nations in the world, human development assumes great economic significance for it as the demographic dividend can be reaped only if this young population is healthy, educated, and skilled (See chapter 2). The emphasis on human
13
CHAPTER
conomic growth though important cannot be an end in itself. Higher standards of living as well as of development opportunities for all, stemming from the greater resources generated by economic growth, are the ultimate aim of development policy. This implies the need to bridge regional, social and economic disparities, as well as the empowerment of the poor and marginalized, especially women, to make the entire development process more inclusive. The draft Twelfth Five Year Plan's subtitle 'Faster, More Inclusive and Sustainable Growth', puts the growth debate in the right perspective. The government's targeted policies for the poor, with the prospect of fewer leakages, can help better translate outlays into outcomes.
E
13.2 The global economic and financial crisis which has persisted for the last five years has not only exposed the vulnerability of almost all the countries over the globe to external shocks, but also has lessons for development planning. Countries need to have inbuilt social safety nets for facing such eventualities, which affect the weak and vulnerable the most, and wipe out the fruits of growth for years. India with its focus on inclusive development and timely interventions has, however, been able to weather the crisis better than many other countries. 13.3 India is on the brink of a demographic revolution with the proportion of working-age population between 15 and 59 years likely to increase from approximately 58 per cent in 2001 to more than 64 per cent by 2021, adding approximately 63.5 million new entrants to the working age group between 2011 and 2016, the bulk of whom will be in the relatively younger age group of 20-35 years. Given that it is one of the youngest large nations in the world, human development assumes great economic significance for it as the demographic dividend can be reaped only if this young population is healthy, educated, and skilled (See chapter 2). The emphasis on human