Publication
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2011
YOUNG INDIA
Message from Indian Ambassador
Untold story of vim, vigour & vitality AJIT KUMAR JHA EDITOR, QATAR TRIBUNE
T 62, an individual may be heading towards retirement and possibly old age but a nation is still considered young. India is an ancient civilization but a young country by that yardstick. The idea of India existed for thousands of years but mostly as a notion, a cultural imagery, rarely in its history as a political entity. It became a modern nation, a sovereign unit, only when it achieved independence in 1947. Furthermore, it became a modern republic on 26th January 1950, when it adopted a written democratic constitution with secularism and social justice as its ideals. For the next four decades the country survived as a democracy at a modest economic pace unnoticed by the world. The rate of growth was so sluggish that often foreign commentators ridiculed it. Facing an acute foreign exchange crisis in 1991, India liberalised its markets introducing unparalleled economic reforms. The last two decades have been a story of
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HE Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa
ndia is celebrating its 62nd Republic Day on 26 January 2011. It is a day which commemorates the historic adoption of the Indian Constitution which declared the choice of the people to live in a democracy, guaranteeing equal rights to all and bound the vast heterogeneity of India in a united nation. In the past six decades and some, India has emerged as an important player in the management of global polity and determinant of the world economy. This rise of India which stands for pluralism, tolerance and justice has been welcomed in a world where strife driven by narrow interpretations of identity and interests threatens peace and prosperity. The recognition of India’s emergence as a positive factor in international relations has won it plaudits and attention, as was evident from the calendar of international engagements. In the last year, India has had the honour to host leaders from all the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council, and has also won itself a 2 year term on the Security Council with a thumping endorsement. India has also played a visible and constructive role in for a where the future course of the world is debated and negotiated, such as the G-20. On the economic front, despite global uncertainties, India’s record of growth has been extremely robust and is expected to be around 8.5 – 9%. At the same time the government has set about to ensure the success of ambitious social development programmes, make education a fundamental right and to create employment opportunities in order that the growing prosperity of India is shared among its people in an equitable manner and no one is left behind. India’s relation with the GCC has continued to grow even as the region emerged as one of its largest trade partners, and engagement with individual countries strengthened and diversified into new fields, giving the relationship ever increasing salience. India’s ties with Qatar, which are bound by civilizational links, common regional security interests and economic complementarity, continue to remain strong. A vital element of our relations is the large Indian expatriate community who contribute not only their hard work, skills and entrepreneurial talent, but also proved their genuine affection and loyalty to their generous host state, by cheering themselves hoarse when the 2022 FIFA World Cup was awarded to Qatar! I take this opportunity to congratulate the people and Government of the State of Qatar on their winning bid for the 2022 World Cup, and wish them success, peace and prosperity.
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See exclusive interview of Indian Ambassador to Qatar HE Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa with Qatar Tribune’s Editor Ajit Kumar Jha on pages 3 & 4
The Indian boom began in 1991, likely to soar from 2013, and may last for a quarter century. prosperity, mostly driven by benefits of globalisation. Today the economic growth rate is almost touching 9 per cent (right behind China, its biggest competitor) and is surging at a rate when it is estimated to go beyond China by 2013. What is the story behind the Indian economic miracle? If the answer lies in one phrase, it is the vim, vigour and vitality of youth. Today the young nation India is youthful in more ways than one. First take a look at demography. It is India’s youth that constitute its greatest strength today. More than half its population is under the age of 25 and more than 65 per cent hovers below the age of 35. By 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years, compared to 37 for China and 48 for Japan. It is much higher for Western Europe and the developed countries of the West. India’s median age is one of the lowest in the world. The majority of India’s population is the offspring of the Midnight’s Children generation (the generation born at the stroke of midnight when India got independence). “China’s workforce will shortly start ageing; in a few years time
The Emir His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in Doha, in 2008. it will start shrinking. That’s because of its one-child policy— an oppressive measure that no Indian government can get away with…” concludes The Economist in its recent cover story, How India’s growth will
outpace China’s. According to a Morgan Stanley estimate, the proportion of Indians aged under 15, or over 64 (non working age) has declined from 69 per cent in the year 1995 to 56 per cent in 2010. Based on
future estimates, India’s working age population will increase by 136 million by 2020 whereas China’s will grow by a mere 23 million. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2