Sarkaritel.com International News and Features

State of India's Republic, Kerala Marks a Golden Jubilee

New Delhi, November 01, 2006

Kerala recently conducted a function on the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the State of Kerala at Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala has progressed a great deal in these past fifty years.

In the fifty years of its existence as a state of India's Republic, Kerala has achieved international fame for its record in human development particularly in the fields of education, health and women empowerment. Among Indian states, it is by far the best in this regard and its record compares favorably with advanced countries in the world. The Kerala Model has proved that people of developing countries can enjoy a quality of life that can equal those of the best through the right mix of policies.

Kerala has been able to achieve this through radical redistribution of assets, investment in human development, democratic participation and collective action.

Education has played a critical role in Kerala's transformation. The yearning of every Keralite for acquiring knowledge has been exemplified by the facility of a library in every village in Kerala.

Kerala has long been a fine example of our composite culture being an admirable symbol of the idea of "unity in diversity". Kerala should show the entire country, indeed the entire world, how people of different faiths can live together, work together, in peace and harmony.

Though investment in human development has contributed to its social and geographical mobility, there is a need to upgrade the quality of public services and make them more efficient, more relevant to today's times and more focused on meeting current needs. Kerala also needs new avenues of economic growth and employment generation. The State must invest more in skill-based education to increase the employability of its youth. The recent outbreaks in epidemics that affected Kerala also point to the fact that while curative services have increased their spread, public health issues remain weak.

Kerala has already taken a major lead in tourism, which has considerable employment potential. Kerala also needs new investment in horticulture, dairy farming, agri-business, information technology and the services sector. It must build on its excellent human resource base to promote the manufacturing and service sectors. Paddy cultivation seems to be on the decline, threatening many livelihoods. Plantation crops such as tea, coffee, spices and traditional industries such as coir and cashew are passing through periodic crises which can be tackled by applying modern science and technology to improve yields and productivity.

Kerala has engineered a politics that is both inclusive and mature enough to engage with the challenges of a globalised world on equal terms. Kerala has created a society that is tolerant of differing world views. Kerala's culture is enriched by multiple influences from different parts of the world and India.

Kerala also represents a society where change happened from below and not dictated from above. It is a tribute to those engaged in public life in this State, its political leadership, its social leadership and its intellectual community of creative artists, academics, writers and others who were collectively engaged in contributing to a transformation of relationships from dependency to self respect and dignity.

E-Mail : newseditor@sarkaritel.com