Kerala doing well compared to others

KOCHI: Kerala is doing well compared to other states and the uncertainties in the European countries do not imply a negative trend in the state, said Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. He was responding to the interactive session at the colloquium on Approach to the 12th Five-Year Plan organised by the Planning Forum of St Teresa’s College. Even Amartya Sen is all praise for the Kerala Model of Development. Earlier it excelled in the service sector but now its rate of growth is also rising, he said. There is a declining population as Kerala’s workers are not bound to the state but those working outside the state do not contribute to the actual growth of the state, he said. Keralites working outside should contribute to its growth, he said.The state should exploit its human skills and tourism potential to generate more income. There are lots of opportunities to move to high value tourism with new destinations. If India is growing at 7 per cent why can’t Kerala keep the pace, he asked.When asked about the women labour force who are opting for higher studies, Ahluwalia said that it is a temporary phenomenon. “There is no separate strategy for women. Employers should provide special facilities for women. Women should also have access to skilled opportunities in the 12th Plan,” he said.When asked about his statement on shifting from agriculture to other productive sectors, he clarified that people should shift from low productive agriculture to high value crop technologies and better marketing, in his keynote address. He said the 12th Plan would focus on fast, sustainable and more inclusive growth. The growth target is 9 per cent. To attain it, skill development programmes, employability skills programme and the neglected apprenticeship programmes and manufacturing sector programmes will be  promoted. The labour sector is also showing positive growth. “We are now what China was in the 1980s,” he said. Now the average year of school is closer to six, the same average that China had in the in the 80’s but now it is eight. Quality of education has to be improved by recruiting quality teachers and infrastructure especially in government schools. Basic services such as drinking water, health and access to sanitation should be improved. Even in slums people have TV and fridge but have poor access to sanitation which leads to health problems. Though there is steady improvement “our performance is not good enough, its only progressing,” he said. Money will be spent on employability and skill to overcome poverty in the long run. Pollution should be controlled. It is a bigger threat among the poor, he said. The 12th Plan will lay stress on improving energy efficiency. Earlier, energy elasticity was 0.8 and it has to be brought down to 0.7. Import dependence on energy is likely to increase and the domestic energy prices are not in line with global prices, he said. Domestic production has to be increased with controlled emissions. Water is another area of focus. Only 4 per cent of the total water is required for domestic use and meeting the needs of industry and agriculture is a problem. Technologies that reduce water consumption and reuse water should be used. The 12th Plan will address the imbalances in the 11th Plan to achieve inclusive growth, he said.