Ex-Britannia boss Vinita Bali feels a billion-plus India is a liability

Former MD of Britannia Industries, Vinita Bali thinks India's population is a bane, not a boon

India’s young population has often been hailed as one of its greatest strengths in the current scenario. However, at a recent event, the former MD of Britannia Industries, Vinita Bali, presented an alternate view.

“We believe that demography is going to be a dividend for us. In fact, I think it’s going to be the biggest liability if we don’t take serious note of the situation that we are faced with, whether it is the health, the nutrition or the water and food of everybody, more so of women and children,” she said. Bali shared numbers during her address to back up her view. Even today, over 235 million people go to sleep on an empty stomach, she said. One in five children born is malnourished.

“We are a society which is still desirous of having a male child. There are many reasons to recognise the accomplishments of not just men or of women, but of men and women. That is the only way in which we will create a society that is equitable, that is fair and just,” she said in conclusion, speaking of an eternal hope to live in an equal world.