Kerala - Thrissur   

`Shun Western model of development'

By Our Staff Reporter

THRISSUR, JAN. 3. India should shun development strategies that are promoted by the West, Claude Alvares, environmentalist, said.

Inaugurating a discussion on `Developmentalism and Kerala society', organised by the P.G. Centre and the Centre for Social Education, here on Thursday, Mr. Alvares said the western model of development was misguided and oppressive.

"The present education system has been designed to promote a development ideology that destroys innate creativity and cultural diversity. This ideology encourages homogeneity in thinking. You are made to lose your individuality and surrender to big-business interests," he said.

Mr. Alvares, a member of the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee on Hazardous Wastes, said that Periyar, a lifeline for the people of Kerala, was biologically dead.

"The effluent from many of the 249 industries in Eloor pollutes the river. We (the Committee) asked the State Government how they would solve the problem. There was no answer. The Government has not arranged to even collect samples of water and set up a river monitoring station," Mr. Alvares said.

M.P. Parameswaran, social activist, called for fresh thinking on development issues.

"We should challenge the conventional ideas about development. And identify the non-negotiable aspects of the development process. Proper and judicious use of resources can make Kerala self-reliant and create social security," he said.

The discussion defined developmentalism as a composite art and science that opened the door for the synthesis of development theory with a practical base of knowledge and skill across domains of biology, sociology, psychology, economics, anthropology and ecology.

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`Shun Western model of development'

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