Demographic dividend backed by quality education can be game-changer for India: Shiv Nadar

Billionaire industrialist and philanthropist Shiv Nadar said on Tuesday that India's demographic dividend has the potential to become a game-changer with the right education, training and skillsets.

"The most important pillar on which a nation's growth depends is its education system. It is even more crucial in India because about 600 million people -- close to half of the country's population -- are under 25 years of age. No other country has more young people than India," he said at an event organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to mark the festival of Dussehra.

However, Nadar said, 266 million people in India cannot read or write. "The lack of education is the root cause of several severe problems in the country, like malnutrition and child deaths at the time of birth. A literate citizen is a more aware individual who can work towards addressing several of these issues in an individual's life."

Nadar asked all stakeholders to pitch-in for solving the problems and challenges being faced by the nation. "The government alone cannot take the country to the next level. It requires equal involvement from all stakeholders which includes the private sector, citizens and NGOs to drive change and progress."

The Indian IT pioneer wished everyone on the occasion of Vijayadashami and said that Dussehra celebrates the triumph of Lord Rama over Ravana, of dharma over adharma, of good over evil.

"For me, there is no metaphor which symbolises the spirit of our nation's progress more than the story of Vijayadashami. For our job in the journey of building our nation is never complete. We have to continuously work towards conquering newer challenges."

Nadar co-founded HCL in a garage in 1976 to make calculators and microprocessors. Today, he chairs HCL Technologies, the 8.2 billion dollar company which ranks as India's fourth largest software services provider, a university and a foundation which is involved in several philanthropic activities.