We can’t take advantage of demographic dividend if we don’t create jobs: Anand Sharma

"We cannot take advantage of the demographic dividend if we do not create jobs. Two-third of the country's population is youth. It cannot deal with a situation of youth unrest," Anand Sharma said

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job creation, jobs, India Job Creation, Anand Sharma, Leader of Opposition Anand Shrama, Rajya Sabha

“We cannot take advantage of the demographic dividend if we do not create jobs. Two-third of the country’s population is youth. It cannot deal with a situation of youth unrest,” Anand Sharma said

Job creation is paramount for realising the advantage of demographic dividend, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma said on Friday. Addressing the valedictory session of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) annual session, 2019, he said the government’s needs to prioritise, agriculture and labour reforms through education and skilling.

“We cannot take advantage of the demographic dividend if we do not create jobs. Two-third of the country’s population is youth. It cannot deal with a situation of youth unrest,” he said. He emphasised on the importance of the expansion of manufacturing and the need for skilling people to achieve that goal.

Asserting that today’s India has been built over decades, Sharma said, “Indian industry, and the confidence they showed at the moment of liberalisation, is a testament to this. We created an environment that encouraged entrepreneurship and investment.” He said as a country, there are challenges, but the fundamental question was how they are addressed.

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“We share the widespread concern for fiscal prudence. We must find a way to reduce borrowings of the government and increase revenues. “One of the ways to do this was to reduce government. A country like India has always needed a large civil service. What is needed now is the consolidation of some departments and ministries and reducing red tape,” he said.

Advocating focus on the socio-economic situation in the country to decide national priorities, he identified some urgent sectors of reform such as education, legal, health, and electoral.