More than half of Indian women and almost a quarter of Indian men of working age suffer from anaemia. According to studies, they are anywhere from 5 - 15% less productive than they could be, as a result thereof. India also has the largest tuberculosis burden in the world, costing 170 million workdays to the country annually. But what is just as important as lost productivity now is lost potential in the future. It is becoming increasingly clear that on many measures of cognitive ability, malnourished Indian children perform two or three times worse than their adequately nourished peers. For an economy that will be more dependent on highly skilled workers, this poses a significant challenge. And it is one that really should be addressed given India's demographic outlook. Which one of the following statements best reflects what is implied by the passage?

The passage highlights how widespread health issues like anaemia and tuberculosis, and malnutrition in children, severely impact current productivity and future cognitive ability, posing a significant challenge for India's economic development, especially given its demographic outlook and need for skilled workers. A) Education system must be strengthened in rural areas. While relevant to cognitive ability, the passage attributes the problem to malnutrition, not primarily the education system itself. It's a consequence, not the root cause emphasized. B) Large scale and effective implementation of skill development programme is the need of the hour. The passage states that malnourished children perform poorly on cognitive ability, making skill development challenging. Addressing health and nutrition is a prerequisite for effective skill development, not a standalone solution implied as the best reflection. C) For economic development, health and nutrition of only skilled workers needs special attention. The passage discusses anaemia in "more than half of Indian women and almost a quarter of Indian men of working age" and malnutrition in "Indian children," not just existing skilled workers. This option is too restrictive. D) For rapid economic growth as envisaged by us, attention should be paid to health and nutrition of the people. This option accurately captures the central theme. The passage explicitly links anaemia and TB to lost productivity, and child malnutrition to lost future potential and cognitive ability, all of which hinder economic growth. It implies that improving the health and nutrition of the general population ("people") is crucial for achieving rapid economic growth.