India should bank on its demographic dividend

 With the country boasting the second largest population in the world, India enjoys a “demographic dividend”. This large population, if provided with basic facilities and other means for economic development, could perform miracles, said Revenue Minister V Sreenivas Prasad, here on Friday.

He was speaking at the 68th Independence Day celebrations, organised by the district administration at Oval Grounds in the city.

Population of more than 120 crores in India need not be a burden. The government should come up with schemes and projects to utilise the abundant human resource in the country, he said.

“Considering the average age of population in the country, we are a nation of youth. Directions by experienced senior citizens, along with the labour of youth is enough to guide the country in the path of progress,” he said.

Terrorism, naxalism and other anti-social ideologies continued to pose a threat to the integrity and unity of the nation. “People of India should shed their differences based on religion, caste and region, and should strive towards ridding the country from such ideologies,” he said.

Cultural programme

An attractive march past, followed by cultural programmes from students of various schools in the city and Nanjangud, added colour to the Independence Day celebrations.
Around 1,100 students from 12 schools, which included teams from Citizens School, Nanjangud, Sri Satya Sai Baba School, Jayalakshmipuram, and a team of 10 schools from Mysore (North) educational block, performed.

The performances, which depicted various cultures of the region and the country, evoked a message of unity in diversity.

Five freedom fighters from various parts of the district, V Lakkaiah, K P Nanjundappa, H C Siddalingashetty, L Kumaraswamy, and K Krishnappa were felicitated during the programme.

Apart from them, eight officials of the district administration, Dhanush, Mysore District Statistics Officer; Nanjundegowda, Periyapatna Tahsildar; Venkataramaiah, retired deputy tahsildhar; Shyamala P N, enumerator; M B P Pandey, Assistant Director (Statistics); Naveen Joseph, Nanjangud Tahsildar; Subbanarasimha, Assistant Statistics Officer; and G K Krishnakumar, enumerator; were felicitated for winning medals for works related to 2011 census in the district.