Why optimism on India's present does not extend much beyond visible horizon

Structural unemployment problem, social unrest, poor state of education and health care, and nutrition deficits among children - tomorrow's workforce - temper optimism on India, writes T Ninan

There was a time when well-meaning observers of a struggling Indian economy used to say that they were short-term pessimists about the country, but long-term optimists. Now there may be an unexpected inversion of that view. Many people have become short-term optimists but long-term pessimists. You could argue that if we take care of a series of short terms, the long term will take care of itself. But consider the argument.

The Indian economy is manifestly an out-performer just now. It is the fastest-growing large economy (as it was briefly once earlier) at a difficult time when the Japanese and