People, in plenty

Thu, Oct 29 10:55 AM

India, Oct. 29 -- When an elephant attempts to change course, it takes a while for it to align its massive frame with the new course. While liberalised India has grown past its initial struggle, it still has to travel some distance before it regains its equilibrium on the new path, writes Sunil Mittal.

Leaders at the Summit India's population may be young but it is also the second largest in the planet - second only to China. While the focus of the politicians and the media may have veered away to more pressing concerns of late, HT's nationwide poll shows the common man still thinks of population as a hurdle India must cross if it wants to be a global power. Even though 30 per cent respondents of the survey did feel India stood to gain from the manpower advantage, the view of the majority, 70 per cent, was rather bleak. Thirty-five per cent felt drinking water would be the first major resource crunch a rising India will face and 23 per cent thought food was a bigger concern, considering the over-billion mouths that must be fed.

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