Too much Instagram and fries could choke India's economic growth, says Economic Survey

This mix of unhealthy habits can undermine public health and productivity and diminish India’s economic potential, the Survey warned.

India’s economic future is at risk from a public health crisis fuelled by unhealthy lifestyles, including sedentary habits, excessive screen time, and poor diets, the Economic Survey 2023-24 said.

This mix of unhealthy habits can undermine public health and productivity and diminish India’s economic potential, the Survey warned. It criticized the private sector’s role in contributing to these.

Highlighting the health and commercial benefits of traditional Indian lifestyles, the survey advocated that businesses adopt and promote these practices globally to boost their market leadership and profitability.

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India is home to one of the youngest populations in the world, having a median age of 28 years, according to the Survey. “India can harness its demographic dividend by nurturing a workforce that is equipped with employable skills and prepared for the needs of the industry,” the Survey read.

In this background, it is important the country keeps its workforce healthy not just to maintain public health, but also to boost productivity.

The Survey also blamed the private sector for its ‘myopic’ contribution to this ‘toxic’ mix of habits. It said that India’s traditional lifestyles and foods are more sustainable and it is something that the private sector can explore commercially.

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“The emerging food consumption habits of Indians are not only unhealthy but also environmentally unsustainable. India’s traditional lifestyle, food and recipes have shown how to live healthily and in harmony with nature and the environment for centuries.”

The Survey also said that it is crucial for India to move towards a more balanced diet to “reap the gains of its demographic dividend”.

Recently, the public health situation has been slowly taking a grim turn.
The obesity rate among adults in India has more than tripled, and the annual rise in children’s is the steepest in the world for India, behind Vietnam and Namibia, according to the World Obesity Federation.

According to National Family Health Survey 5 (NFHS-5), the percentage of men facing obesity in the age bracket 18-69 has increased to 22.9 percent in NFHS-5 from 18.9 percent in NFHS-4. For women, it has increased from 20.6 percent (NFHS-4) to 24 percent (NFHS-5).