2015-50 period of window of demographic oppurtunity : Kakodkar

Noted nuclear scientist Prof Anil Kakodkar today said the time between 2015 and 2050 is a period of demographic window of opportunity for India, which is the most favourably placed in this respect among all countries of the world.

Kakodkar, who is the former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, who was adressing the 15th convocation of Tezpur University, said the US National Intelligence Council's recent report 'Global Trend: Alternative Worlds' identified the period between 2015 and 2050 as demographic window of opportunity for India.

"We have the most favourably placed demography among all countries of the world. Our ability to positively leverage our demographic dividend to the fullest extent possible would clearly require us to make very rapid progress towards addressing the twin challenge of excellence and access in our education system," he said.
 

Human kind has bigger challenges to deal with today than any time before, Kakodkar, who was also the former director of Bhaba Atomic Research Centre said.

"Inadequate attention in the past to the need to adopt appropriate solutions that can meet human needs in a sustainable way nearly exhausted capacity to carry additional earth burden in future, depleting earth resources and most importantly issues arising out of human greed have all taken our mother earth close to tipping point," he said.

Expectations from the education system have assumed additional important dimensions and universities have far greater responsibilities today than any time before.

"The universities must devote themselves more intensely to knowledge creation and dissemination and lead the society rather than follow the society.

In the present day knowledge era this is even more important", he said.

Kakodkar said the quest for fundamental understanding and benefits in terms of better quality of life must go hand in hand and the eco-system must be able to recognise potential and facilitate translation of potential ideals to their logical end.

Tezpur University today conferred degrees to 1058 students, including 64 PhDs, 679 Masters degrees. Diplomas were given under the Open and Distance learning programmes.