Experts: State failed to reap benefits of demographic dividend

Patna: Even as the share of Bihar in the country’s population has increased from 8.6% in 2011 to 9.4% in 2023 and the population density of the state has also risen from 1,106 to 1,388 people per sq km during the period, the state has failed to reap the benefits of demographic dividend properly. Interestingly, the state has got the highest percentage of young population. As per 2011 census, 80% of the state’s population belonged to the age category of 40 years or less. It is very crucial to effectively guide and support these young people to meet the challenges of economic growth in the coming decades, feel social scientists. Sudhanshu Kumar of Bihar Institute of Pubic Finance and Policy said that population growth leads to economic benefits only if young people are prepared early to contribute to commercial activities in a rapidly changing society. In recent times, the state has witnessed significant improvement in basic human development indicators. Therefore, the government policy should prioritize quality education, healthcare, and social and physical infrastructure. This is essential to equip local human resources with the skills to compete globally, he said. Kumar further said that planning and implementing different policies at this stage must consider the expected population growth in the coming decades. This will ensure that essential services and infrastructure can handle the pressure of a rapidly growing population, he said. Lamenting that Bihar has not harnessed the demographic dividend properly, Aditya Raj of social sciences department at IIT Patna said, “Migration defines the state of today. Exodus of youth takes place mainly for skill development and work opportunities. The state often asks for more funds from the Union government without having any clarity of purpose. Even if it gets funds, it does not have strong institutions to spend it properly in development activities. The youth of the state has lost all hopes from the government,” he said. Former director of Patliputra School of Economic Studies under Aryabhatta Knowledge University, Shankar Kumar Bhaumik, said Bihar may benefit from having a relatively young population in terms of attaining higher economic growth, if the government focuses on enhancing the education and skill levels of the younger people so as to make them competent enough to access the newly emerging job opportunities both in Bihar and outside. This has to be done in a planned and time-bound manner, he said. “The ongoing approach of maintaining the status quo and following a business-as-usual approach in many spheres wouldn’t help. The government has, of late, initiated praiseworthy steps to enhance the quality of education at the primary and secondary levels, but, the quality of general education at the higher level needs serious improvement. The state will have to improve its human resource base and have a skilled and educated workforce with up-to-date knowledge who would compete with their counterparts in other states,” Bhaumik said. Vidyarthi Vikas of A N Sinha Institute of Social Studies said the greater percentage of young people in the state’s population will definitely have a positive impact on economic growth subject to the improved quality of skill development and livelihood opportunities. The growing trend of private investments on infrastructural development is quite worrisome, he said.
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