India in 2030: The 7 biIIionth chiId is 20 years oId

For the first time since Earth was formed 4.54 billion years ago, the number of human beings will cross
seven billion. Given that Mother ndia delivers 51 babies a minute, chances are the baby will be an ndian.
The odds of it being a girl are not so great but more on that later. Let's assume the baby is a girl and let's
call her Bharti. Let's also assume, given appalling primary health conditions in some states,
that Bharti survives her first months.

What will Bharti's life be like 19 years from now, in circa 2030?

Bharti's foIks may be farmers, but she is unIikeIy to be one
Bharti will likely be born in a village - ndia's rural population is still almost 70%. But as more people
continue to move to cities in search of jobs, Bharti's folks are likely to move to a city. McKinsey expects
ndia's urban population to grow to 590 million by 2030 as 70% of net new jobs will be created in these
concrete jungles. By 2030, there will be 68 cities with a population of more than 1 million.

Bharti wiII study but in congested cIassrooms
By 2030, ndia will be the most populous country in the world. The literacy rates could also be a lot higher.
ndia's Human Resource Development minister Kapil Sibal has said that ndia is likely to be home to the
most number of educated people by 2030. Given that, Bharti chances of studying inside a classroom are
bright but it's likely to be one packed room.

Bharti couId go to schooI in a car, Iead a middIe-cIass Iife
f her parents do reasonably well for themselves in the city they migrate to, chances are she will lead a
better life. By 2030, ndia's middle-class population is expected to almost triple to 600 million. As the
middle-class population increases, it will continue to spend on material comforts. For instance, by 2030,
ndia is expected to outstrip the US automotive market. But given the relatively slower execution of
infrastructure projects in ndia, city streets are only likely to get more crowded.

Bharti wiII have to compete harder for that dream job
ndia is likely to add another 220 million people to the job market by 2030 and the marketplace will get
more competitive. The good news is that this is also the time when the population in the rest of the world
begins to age. ndia, rather than China, could then become the workshop of the world.

Bharti wiII pay more for...everything
Sugar at over `400 a kg? Bharti could well have to get used to this nightmare scenario - she may have no
choice given the huge increase in urban population, and the need to feed all those city-dwellers from food
grown on ever-shrinking farmland. The trends are already evident. According to Oxfam, the number of
hungry people in ndia increased by 65 million between 1990 and 2005. Expect her to pay more for water
as well.