Embryonic role of human resource development in knowledge economy

The achievement of a sustained and equitable development remains the greatest challenge for the human race. Despite good progress over the past generation, more than one billion people still live in acute poverty and suffer grossly inadequate access to the resources-education, health services, infrastructure, land and credit-required to give them a chance for a better life. Human capital accumulation has long been stressed as a pre-requisite for economic growth and the educated labour-force is more equipped with skills for creating, implementing, adopting new technologies, which are essential for economic growth. The world faces two major developmental challenges-the first is to ensure that the fruits of development reach the neediest through equitable distribution of resources, opportunities and benefits. The second is to develop the human resource. Challenges to develop human resource and policy implications are also discussed.