To obtain full benefits of demographic dividend, what should India do?

The correct answer is A. A demographic dividend appears when the working-age population grows faster than the dependent population, but a young population adds to growth only if it is employable. Skill development turns numbers into productive workers, which is why the National Policy on Skill Development (2009) and the Skill India Mission (2015) were built around it.

• B Social security protects people against risk. It does not by itself raise productivity or create jobs, so it does not directly unlock the dividend.
• C Lower infant mortality is a valuable health goal and affects the future workforce, but the effect comes with a long lag. It is not the direct lever the question is testing.
• D Privatisation is a policy choice, not a requirement. Access, quality and affordability of higher education matter, whichever sector delivers them.

Core concept: the dividend depends on education, skills and employment together. For Mains, this links to GS-III on employment and skilling, and to GS-II on human capital and government schemes.

Trap: choosing C because it sounds like a population-level measure. Infant mortality is a health indicator, not a direct route to a productive workforce.