THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The draft approach paper for Kerala's Eleventh Five Year Plan, prepared by the State Planning Board, suggests a two-pronged strategy to ensure equitable development in the State in the coming years.

The first is to tackle the problem of `simple unemployment' (unemployment of unskilled labour) and the crisis in the farm sector and traditional industries. The second is to nurture skills to cater to the needs of new growth sectors and encourage local entrepreneurship in such areas.

Such a two-pronged strategy is necessary for the State, since the expansion of modern skill-intensive sectors alone cannot absorb the people displaced from the crisis-ridden traditional and farm sectors, according to the draft approach paper.

For the traditional sectors, apart from relief measures, it emphasises "value addition" and upgrading of technology within the organisational form of cooperatives.

These have to be run professionally and helped by the Government. They also have to establish retail outlets, whether on their own, or through other cooperative agencies, or through government agencies, or, in certain cases, through private, including corporate, agencies (with whom they would be in a better position to bargain). The approach paper is not in favour of unmediated contact between individual petty producers and corporate agencies, through "contract farming" or "rural business hubs," as these schemes are commonly visualised.

On agriculture, the approach paper is concerned about the drastic decline in food crop production, which reduces employment, further jeopardises Kerala's precarious food security and increases producers' risks. It wants a reversal of this decline and a strengthening of the rice economy, through interim subsidies, if necessary.

The draft paper emphasises the need for the State to focus on upgrading the farm technology, inter-cropping, product diversification, watershed management and irrigation and value addition. It says that these can be achieved through an increasing shift to cooperative institutions and group farming. Price support for agriculture at a suitably remunerative rate of profit is necessary.

The draft approach paper wants State support for the agrarian economy and petty production in general, a "public-peasant partnership" as distinct from the so-called "public-private partnership."

Nurturing talent

The paper argues the need for a hospitable climate for private enterprise in the modern sector, not only for the corporate and multi-national entities in specifically designated spheres, but also for non-resident Keralites and local entrepreneurs. It rejects the idea that Kerala lacks local entrepreneurial talent; such talent has to be located, nurtured and encouraged.

A major issue discussed by the paper relates to land use. No land should be made available for private land speculation, no matter how it is camouflaged. Land should be made available only for industrial enterprises and for purposes of construction catering to genuine needs. In all such cases, the displaced peasants not only have to be compensated for land, but also offered alternative employment, failing which they have to be additionally compensated. A Standing Committee of the Government must clear all cases of land acquisition, and ensure adequate compensation. The tendency of simply taking up corporate investment offers and signing memorandums of understanding without exploring all available alternatives must be avoided.

The approach paper wants substantial increases in social sector outlays to improve the quality of services and ensure their universal availability. It wants a system of social regulation of private educational and health institutions, a system of taxation of private profit-making hospitals, and a period of compulsory service by all qualifying doctors in primary health centres.

Training programmes

While the rural employment guarantee programme and self-help schemes such as Kudumbasree will ameliorate "simple unemployment" among women, the paper suggests training programmes imparting specific skills, and the formation of urban self-help groups to take care of educated female unemployment. These, however, are palliatives. Gender inequities in Kerala are deep-rooted and need to be fought in a sustained manner.

A proper execution of the National Rural Employment Generation Programme should ameliorate poverty among marginalised groups such as the Dalits and the Tribal people.

In addition, the transfer of ownership of forest lands and rights to forest produce can better the lot of these sections of people.

The paper notes with concern the sustained under-utilisation of Central schemes in the State. This is symptomatic of a deeper malaise, the inadequacy of quality administration.

Unless this is overcome, no purposeful planning can take place in the State.

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