is as high as 96 per cent for korea. the comparable level for india is less than 15 per cent. expenditure on research and development ( r & d ) in the developed countries is in the range of 2 to 3 per cent of gdp on an average, which is just 0. 8 per cent in india. this probably explains the gap between employment and employability in our country. how to bridge this gap is the challenge for the voice of tomorrow. the skill gap will become increasingly costly for the economy. way back in 1948, while addressing the conference on all india education, maulana azad had stressed that “ … we must not for a moment forget, it is a birth right of every individual to receive at least the basic education without which he cannot fully discharge his duties as a citizen ”. in april 2010, on the occasion of “ the children ’ s right to free and compulsory education act ” becoming effective, the hon ’ ble prime minister emphasized : “... we are committed to ensuring that all children, irrespective of gender and social category, have access to education. an education that enables them to acquire skills, knowledge, values and attitudes necessary to become responsible and active citizens of india ”. enhancing employability of the labour force requires focus on both skill development and an economic structure that could ensure that the growth process become more employment intensive. according to the national skill development policy 2009, the current capacity of the country to conduct skill development programmes is about 3. 1 million. the target is to cover 500 million cumulatively by 2022. the policy recognizes that 93 per cent of the country ’ s workforce is in the unorganized sector, but contributes only 60 per cent of gdp. strengthening the skill base in this segment will contribute to improving productivity, working conditions and living standards. when we talk of living standards what is of immediate relevance is shelter. the right to shelter is as important as the right to education and employment. now, since the past decade or so there has been a tremendous demand for housing as the economy flourished and income levels increased significantly. the banks entering the housing finance market in a big way provided a major fillip to this sector. but when we talk of shelter to all we mean housing units which will be within the reach of the common man. to bring down the unit cost of housing to that level would require a great deal of technological and financial innovation. to deal with the challenge of gainfully absorbing the expected large number of

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