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RETAIL TALES Industry expert, Mr Ramachandran Parthasarathy shares his views on the Economic Survey of India, its relevance to the optical industry T he Economic Survey released recently before the budget this month underlines the key areas of policy focus in the short and medium term both at a macro level and sectoral level & the survey draws out some of the key areas of policy focus to ensure that India’s growth continues unimpeded, crossing the milestone of becoming the third largest economy of the world on its way to scaling greater heights. Some of the key elements as reproduced in parts from the Economic Survey are. Generating productive employment: According to UN population projections, India’s working- age population (15-59 years) will continue to grow until 2044. The chapter on Employment estimates that the Indian economy needs to generate nearly 78.51 lakh jobs annually in the non-farm sector to cater to the rising workforce. However, to create these many jobs, there is a need to create the conditions for faster growth of productive jobs outside of agriculture, especially in organised manufacturing and services, even while improving productivity in agriculture. OUTLOOK FORTHE INDIAN OPTICAL INDUSTRY 56 VISION PLUS INDIA EDITION