Q."India's population is both an asset and a challenge for its economy." Discuss this statement.

A large population gives India a big workforce and market, but also strains resources, jobs and infrastructure — making it both an asset and a challenge. …

This statement is accurate and reflects a genuinely two-sided reality studied in this chapter.

As an asset: India's population — over 140 crore people, and comparatively young relative to many developed and even some developing countries — provides a very large actual and potential workforce. If this large working-age population is well educated, skilled and productively employed, it can drive faster economic growth, a phenomenon often called the "demographic dividend." A large population also means a large domestic market for goods and services, which supports industrial and business growth within India itself, independent of exports. …

Discussing only the challenge side (overcrowding, unemployment) without also crediting the genuine "demographic dividend" asset side — a "di …