Q."Population can be an asset or a liability." Discuss this statement with reference to Human Resource Development.

Whether a growing population helps or hurts an economy depends entirely on how well it is educated, employed, and kept healthy.

The statement that population can be either an asset or a liability captures a central theme of this chapter: population by itself is neutral, and its economic effect depends entirely on its quality and the opportunities available to it, both of which are shaped by Human Resource Development.

Population acts as an asset when it is healthy, educated, and skilled, and when the economy provides enough productive employment to absorb it. A large working-age population, as India currently has, can supply abundant labour for production, expand the domestic market for goods and services, and generate entrepreneurial energy — this potential benefit is what economists call the demographic dividend. Realising this dividend, however, is conditional: it requires sustained investment in health (so the workforce is fit to work), education and skilling (so the workforce is productive and adaptable), and employment generation (so the workforce is actually absorbed into productive jobs). …

Answering only one side (asset OR liability) instead of the balanced 'depends on HRD investment' fra …