'Indian youth can bring about a paradigm change'

Ahmedabad, Nov 25: Ashok Leyland managing director R Seshasayee today opined that India with her youthful population, shares an edge over developed countries.

He also underscored the need for chalking out a national strategy for India's development.

''Simply announcing a 11th Plan or a 12th Plan is not enough as they are only plans. What we need is a vision and a national strategy,'' he said while speaking at the IIMA Confluence-2006 seminar on ''Advantage India -- Retaining the Edge'' here yesterday.

He pointed out that India shares an edge over the other countries since her population is youthful. The population in the developed countries is ageing fast, while we have a youth power which can bring about a paradigm change, he said.

India, he said, has three core competencies -- power of youth, power of knowledge and power of entrepreneurial skill. Mr Seshasayee said we could be the beneficiaries of a demographic divide as there will be a shortage of 120 million workforce in the developed world in future, with most citizens in those nations crossing their prime.

The youth have a tendency to think fresh, Mr Seshasayee said, adding, ''If you have a powerful idea, there are people to back you up with capital.'' Return on intellectual capital is many times more than physical investment, he added.

Citing a global survey, he said India has 107 million entrepreneurial asset as compared to 96 million of China. Indians are witnessing a new economy without a geographical boundary. If the creative element comes into play and our manufacturing competitivenes is made sharper without government interference, than India can bring out her core competencies to the changing world, he said.

Referring to the high rate of unemployment among engineers in the country, Mr Seshasayee said this was owing to poor quality of primary education. Unless this improves, higher education will suffer, he said.

To a question on quotas for the backward classes, he remarked, ''If someone takes something as a right, its value comes down.''

UNI