'India should leverage youth population, exploit geopolitics'

Noted academician Kishore Mahbubani today said the country has enormous potential to prosper if it reaps the benefit of its youth population and takes advantage of the geopolitical dynamics and engage more with its large diaspora.
Delivering the foundation day lecture of Exim Bank here this evening, Mahbubani, who is the dean and professor of public policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, said, "India has a huge young population. It can reap the benefit of this demographic dividend if it trains them well."
He also said the country is at a geopolitical "sweet spot", which it should leverage.

"India is at a geopolitical sweet spot. As China rises, India will be looked upon for regional balance by the US. If it can maintain good relationship with both these nations, it will benefit a lot," he said.
Mahbubani also emphasised importance of engaging more with the large diaspora for growth.
"If the average Indian could achieve a per capita income that was half that of the average Indian in the US, India would have a GDP that would be USD 25 trillion instead of the current USD 2 trillion," he said.
When asked about the growth potential of the country in the near term, Mahbubani said if a strong government is formed at the Centre after the forthcoming elections, the growth rate will improve. But, if a weak coalition comes to power, then it will not be good for the growth.