Kerala - Thrissur   

`Planning has to be aimed at the poor'

Staff Reporter

`The gulf between the rich and the poor should not be widened'

THRISSUR: The noted Left thinker M.P. Parameswaran has warned against the dangers of planning that would aggravate the gulf between the rich and the poor in the country.

Inaugurating a seminar on `Dimensions of planning' organised by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi as part of the ongoing national book festival here on Monday, Dr. Parameswaran said Kerala is fast emerging as one of the States having very high rate of growth in poverty. In such a State, planning should meticulously aim at improving the lot of the lower strata in society, he said.

The historian M. Gangadharan said the country will be able to transform itself into a welfare nation only if its planning is focussed on the improvement of the lot of the Dalits, tribal people and the minorities who are being denied fundamental rights.

Stating that both the ruling and opposition sections have more or less same views on development, Dr. Gangadharan pointed out that Bihar is among the States having high level of poverty in the country despite the fact that many of the mega industries are located there.

The writer and leader of the Democratic Indira Congress(Karunakaran) M.A. John said the planning process in India has neglected the basic fact that it is the poor who required the support of the Government and not the rich.

In the name of planning it is only `sharing of booty' that has been happening in the country for the last 50 years. Pointing out that 60 per cent of the people in the country depend on agriculture, Mr. John said any planning which neglects the farmers will not succeed in the country. The latest anti-subsidy policies of the Government will only aggravate the inequality and poverty in the country, he added.

V.K. Vijayakumar, Civic Chandran, Joseph Pulikkunnel, K.M. Chummar and N. Sreekumar were among those who spoke on the occasion.

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