The Hindu : Front Page : Prime Minister for political consensus for development

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Thursday, Nov 02, 2006
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Prime Minister for political consensus for development

Special Correspondent

He hopes that `next century will be Kerala's century'

VISUAL TREAT: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other dignitaries viewing a visual treat organised by schoolchildren at the inauguration of the golden jubilee celebrations of Kerala formation in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. — Photo: S. Mah insha

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Lauding Kerala for its excellent track record in welfare and human development, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has urged the State's political leadership to evolve a consensus for development and explore new avenues of economic growth and employment generation `so that every Keralite can live up to her or his full potential.'

"Your creativity, your enterprise, your skills and hard work have won you laurels across the world and across our vast nation. Kerala has progressed a great deal in these past 50 years. I hope the next century will be Kerala's century," the Prime Minister said while inaugurating the celebrations to mark the golden jubilee of Kerala's formation at a colourful function here on Wednesday.

Cash crops

The Prime Minister said the United Progressive Alliance Government was drawing up an integrated plan for resolving the problems affecting Kerala's cash crops such as tea, coffee and spices and added that the Centre would design supportive policies for traditional industries such as coir and cashew. The Centre, he said, would also consider favourably the State's demand for setting up an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and an Institute of Science Education and Research in Kerala. Dr. Singh said he would ask the Education Minister to pay special attention to the State's demands and hoped this would usher in a culture of political consensus and joint initiatives for the State's development.

Pointing out that the problem in the cash crop sector may have to do with poor productivity rather than globalisation and the threat of imports, the Prime Minister also used the occasion to remind the State about the need to apply modern science and technology to improve yield and productivity. Referring to Kerala model of development, he said, "Some feel that the Kerala model may be fraying on the edges; that it is unable to generate adequate growth to build on its excellent record in welfare and human development... . The recent outbreaks in epidemics that affected Kerala also point to the fact that while curative services have increased their spread, public health issues remain weak."

Dr. Singh said public services are the instruments through which human development takes places, not an end in itself. Quoting Kumaranasan's call for reforming outdated laws, the Prime Minister said: "If we don't heed that call, yesterday's dogma can become today's prejudice. Yesterday's change agents may become today's status quoists."

The Prime Minister also released the First Day Cover brought out by the Department of Posts to mark the golden jubilee celebrations.

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