Answer: 

Introduction:

Inclusive growth has remained elusive despite government’s best efforts. Post-1991 India has witnessed a rise not only in prosperity but also disparities.  Inequalities have got widened and accelerated. More and faster development has occurred in areas that are already well developed and rich. Well-developed and prosperous regions have attracted most of foreign investment and have grown further rapidly.

Body:

Major challenges for inclusive growth:

• Poverty and Low human development
• Lack of adequate employment opportunities.
• Lack of adequate education and skill development.
• Lack of infrastructure – Social and physical.
• Governance deficit, especially in backward regions.
• Disguised unemployment in Indian agriculture

Careless and useless manpower in the Indian context:

• Poverty has been the major reason for poor performance in human development. Poor people lack the capability and resources and are impacted the most in case of governance failure.
• Poor education and skill set force individuals to be either underemployed or productively employed (disguised unemployment).
• Underemployment has been another core concern. Lack of high productivity and high wage jobs has forced underemployment. Skilled labour would provide India a competitive edge for exports from India.
  • Due to a dearth of high-productivity, high-wage positions, underemployment is rife. As part of its 3-year Action Plan Agenda, Niti Ayog has proposed setting aside special economic zones along the coast for labour-intensive production.
• A focus on export manufacturing has been recommended for India. The availability of skilled labour would give Make in India an edge in the export market. Furthermore, it has been suggested that seasonal workers be allowed to work on a temporary basis.

Following are the measures can be taken facing these challenges

• The government must invest in social infrastructure like education, health and skill development.
• The focus in the education sector has shifted from infrastructure development to improving learning outcomes.
• It has been adequately proved that poor health leads to poor intellectual development. Hence, the government should invest in upgrading and building health infrastructure which is really very inefficient and weak at present.
• Skill education should be made an integral part of school curriculum.
• Digital literacy should be increased to tap full opportunities provided by information and communication technology.
• Many government programs like Digital India Skill India, Right to Education, Universal Healthcare scheme, etc seem to be steps in the right direction for improving the quality of human capital.

Conclusion:

Careless and useless deployment of manpower has inhibited the individuals as well as the Indian economy from realizing its true growth potential. Government should take further pro-active steps and facilitate all round inclusive growth by providing adequate opportunities. Initiatives such as Sarva Siksha Abigyan, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, Stand up India, Start-up India should be implemented in letter and spirit.

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