Over the next two decades, India's working-age population will increase by 240 million -- four times the entire population of Britain -- according to investment house Deutsche Bank.
But without education, this "demographic dividend can easily become a demographic curse," Rajat Nag, managing director of the Asian Development Bank, warned at a recent conference of international investors in New Delhi.
The seeds of conflict can already be seen, with 800 million people living on under 20 rupees (45 cents) a day, according to official data, and a growing Maoist revolt in poor areas shut out from the nation's economic boom.
"Superpower dreams cannot be sustained on empty stomachs. India has a long way to go to reach the levels of income that would guarantee all its citizens a prosperous lifestyle," Bajaj Auto chairman Rahul Bajaj told the same forum.
Under a best-case scenario, India's burgeoning youth population will boost earnings, savings, productivity and economic growth by reducin