Kolkata: An annual economic growth of 8 per cent up to 2026 will not be enough for India to avoid a rise in unemployment, according to a study conducted under the aegis of the London School of Economics.

The outcome of the study, entitled India Project, is the outcome of a two-year-long research carried out by a team of LSE experts led by Professor Tim Dyson. It was presented at a workshop on `India in the 21st century: Population, economy, human development and environment' organised by the Centre for Development and Environment Policy, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

The report said that current policy stances towards agriculture were unsustainable and some southern and western States were growing faster than others. The paper also called for better implementation of existing policies.

The study estimated that India's population will touch 1.4 billion by 2026 and could well approach 1.6 billion by 2051. The only way the country could miss the 1.5 billion mark is by an "unexpectedly severe HIV/AIDS epidemic or a full-scale nuclear war," say the authors.

Around half the population rise will be accounted for by Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh with a projected rise of 50 per cent between 2001 and 2026. The future fertility declines in these four States will be crucial in determining the extent of decline in India's population beyond 2026, feel the researchers.