Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Meet on development begins

Special Correspondent

Call for sustainable and equitable growth strategy

DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhatacharjee inaugurating the Second International Congress on Kerala Studies in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. From left are CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI leader D. Raja , a nd Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The second International Congress on Kerala Studies (ICKS), being organised by the AKG Centre for Research and Studies, got under way here on Friday with the call for a new development strategy for Kerala.

Inaugurating the three-day conference, Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee called for a serious effort on the part of Kerala and Bengal to take lessons from each other's experiences in land reforms, decentralisation of powers, eradication of poverty, industrial development and provision of social security, healthcare and education to the people.

While Kerala had made commendable achievements in land reforms, healthcare, education and tourism and had a better ayurvedic resource base, Bengal had achieved much in the area of democratic decentralisation, agricultural and industrial growth, social security measures and revival of traditional industries. But, Bengal had its problems as well. The poor quality of primary level education, the poor health status of its people and fragmentation of families resulting in the emergence of a new section of landless were all problems that needed to be addressed, he said.

Chairing the inaugural session, Leader of the Opposition V. S. Achuthanandan pointed out that while Kerala may have to go in for private investment and even foreign investment to achieve the State's development goals, this would have to be done with care and after ensuring that such measures did not result in exploitation of Kerala's precious natural resources. The process of development should not be seen in isolation or merely a matter of the economy. It is a matter of politics as well, the Opposition Leader said.

Offering felicitations, CPI national secretary D. Raja said the Left in the country would remain uncompromising in its opposition to the globalisation policies of the Government and its commitment to the poor and the downtrodden. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat underscored the need to correctly evaluate the work participation rate of women and said there was need to make gender an important component when assessing development.

Presenting the theme paper of the conference, T. M. Thomas Isaac said the centrepiece of the new development strategy for Kerala would have to be acceleration of economic growth rate. He pointed out that this would be possible only if there was higher public and private sector investment and mobilisation of household savings for investment purposes with appropriate changes in the sectoral development policies, improvement in work culture, strengthening of healthy industrial relations, making Government more efficient and transparent, stepping up public investment in agriculture and traditional industries and improvement in key infrastructures.

Later, speaking at a symposium on "Globalisation and Agricultural Crisis,' held as part of the conference, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member S. Ramachandran Pillai said the Government's interventions in the farm sector in order to protect the interests of the rich farmers had led to a major crisis in the country.

Speaking at a symposium on `Contemporary Socio-Cultural Trends in Kerala,' noted historian K. N. Panikkar called for a cultural resistance to globalisation.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Buddhadeb calls for land reforms
Meet on development begins
Special trains for X'mas
Kerala can have an indigenous growth path: MGS
Congress getting ready for second round of revamp
Portraying women's plight world over
Garbage plant to restart operations
IAF's Air Show 2005 on Sunday
Six hurt in clashes
Brothers found guilty in Sandra murder case
`Form common platform to fight globalisation'
Around the City
In Thiruvananthapuram Today

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu