Question

Given below are two statements : One is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A) : As India moves progressively towards becoming a global knowledge economy, it must meet the rising aspirations of it's youth. This can be partially achieved through focus on advancement of skills that are relevant to the emerging economic environment.
Reason (R) : 62% of India's population is in the working age group (15-59 years) and more than 54% of the total population is below 25 years of age. Our country presently faces a dual challenge of paucity of highly trained workforce as well as non employability of the large work force of the conventional educated youth.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below :

• A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
• B. Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is NOT the correct explanation of (A)
• C. (A) is true but (R) is false
• D. (A) is false but (R) is true

Hint:

Whenever an Assertion suggests a policy or need (like skill focus) and the Reason provides demographic data or a problem (like youth population/unemployability), the Reason is almost always the correct explanation.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question pertains to India's demographic dividend and the necessity of skill development. The demographic dividend refers to the economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a population's age structure, mainly when the share of the working-age population is larger than the non-working-age share.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
1. Analysis of Assertion (A): India is transitioning into a knowledge-based economy. To sustain this and satisfy the youth's aspirations, the workforce must possess skills that align with modern industry requirements (like AI, digital literacy, etc.). Thus, Assertion (A) is correct.
2. Analysis of Reason (R): The statistics cited (62% working age, 54% under 25) highlight India's massive young human resource. However, "educated" does not always mean "employable" in the modern economy due to outdated curricula. The paucity of highly trained workers despite high graduation rates is a verified challenge. Thus, Reason (R) is correct.
3. Establishing the Link: The reason why India must focus on skill advancement (Assertion) is precisely because it has a huge youth population that is currently facing employability issues (Reason). The skill focus is the solution to the demographic challenge.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) provides the logical justification for why the action in (A) is necessary.