Posted on: 19-11-07 12:16:32
Thestar news
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/277646
Nov 19, 2007 04:30 AM
Craig and Marc Kielburger
On a bright fall morning in the Indian state of Kerala, among bustling tea shops and markets, we watch as a remarkable daily ritual unfolds: long streams of children in their brightly coloured uniforms march steadily to school.
While a sight like this would be considered normal on any Canadian street, in India – where millions of rural children never set foot in a classroom – it's something that catches our attention.
But Kerala is not your typical Indian state. That's because, despite the overwhelming poverty in many areas of the country, Kerala has a standard of living that rivals any in the developed world.
The statistics are sometimes hard to believe. Kerala's life expectancy, literacy rate and infant mortality rate are roughly equal to those in Canada and the United States, and dramatically better than in anywhere else in the developing world, including other states in India.
In Kerala, located on the country's southwestern tip, it's as easy to have a well-informed conversation with a businessman as with a taxi driver. Women play an integral role in public policy and child labour is virtually non-existent.
Streets are clean, beaches beautiful, and the lush countryside dotted with historic temples and churches.
To outsiders, Kerala seems to have got development right.
What makes these accomplishments extraordinary is that the state has one-seventieth the wealth of the United States. In fact, Kerala is even poor by Indian standards with a per capita income of $320 a year, compared with $770 in the rest of the country.
Historians and anthropologists have long tried to explain how this state, with a population the size of Canada's, has become such an anomaly. They point to the fact that since India's independence, Kerala has been governed by a series of left-wing governments, which have invested heavily in health care and education.
Land was transferred from rich to the poor, a minimum wage established, and regulations put in place to reign in industrial development.
This emphasis on personal and social growth over unlimited economic expansion was even given a name: the "Kerala model."
Despite the praise, Kerala is not without problems. Unemployment is rampant – as high as 25 per cent – and low levels of industrialization mean there are few suitable jobs for its well-educated youth.
As a result, many have been forced to leave. Nearly two million Keralites live abroad, mostly in the Persian Gulf, pursuing jobs that don't exist at home. While they send home $5 billion a year, many are separated from their families for years.
Kerala isn't perfect. But this small Indian state does serve as a development model for emerging countries, while also redefining what it means for a region to be developed.
Kerala has a low per capita income, the traditional marker of success, but it has a healthy, well-educated and literate population. The state's Human Development Index ranks first in India and is comparable to western countries.
And without the overconsumption in other parts of the world, Kerala has found a way to provide for its citizens with little impact on the environment. As countries like China grow rapidly, Kerala offers an alternative path to development – one increasingly attractive as fears over climate change intensify.
The state may be poor, but the lessons it holds are priceless.
Good to see the statistics. Also a very beautiful place for vacation.
But a model state? I doubt.
Discount the population which had to migrate outside of state and see whether it has any self sustaining economic policy? In that sense even Russia will be a model state if majority of thier adult population finds employment in the US---
Besides the Keralites in the Gulf, there are thousands other who work in other states in India (away from home). It would surely have been a model state if it could invest in some industries and employment/income generating businesses (besides tourism and spas) and STILL maintain what is said in the article...
Hiren
The $320 per capita income (against a national avg. of $770) is there because Kerala is being governed by the left-wing government.
Kerlaites are hard working people outside Kerala ..... in Kerala they are hardly working , thanks to all the unions and the commies.
Traditionally Kerala's predecessors .... Travenacore state had a strong healthcare and education setup .... which is the reason it is in a postion that it is now.
If left-wing governemnt was the reason, why have they not been able to replicate the same sucess in WBengal!!!! They have been in power there for ages.
Quote:
Originally posted by jayaram
What makes these accomplishments extraordinary is that the state has one-seventieth the wealth of the United States. In fact, Kerala is even poor by Indian standards with a per capita income of $320 a year, compared with $770 in the rest of the country.
Historians and anthropologists have long tried to explain how this state, with a population the size of Canada's, has become such an anomaly. They point to the fact that since India's independence, Kerala has been governed by a series of left-wing governments, which have invested heavily in health care and education.
Land was transferred from rich to the poor, a minimum wage established, and regulations put in place to reign in industrial development.
It is the people, not the govn, esp the commies, have done anything to the development of kerala. Healthcare and education have nothing to do with commies, as seen/known worldwide... its the opposite they want.. they want followers who will blindly believe whatever the leader says...
The authors, Craig and Marc Kielburger have no clue abt Kerala. The money comes from the expats, inside and outside the country. On its own, the state is a dud due to the commies and mismanagement of CONg(I) led coalition. I have visited couple of places including Cochin and Tpuram. How many of Keralites really work in that state? IMO, there are more Keralites outside the state than in Kerala. They are pumping money into the economy. Note that the state is ruled by a CM who is 85 yrs old and can barely walk. His ideology is very old. How can a person like this take the state forward? Beats me. Both the Achutanandan and his rival, Pinarayi Vijayan, are pre occupied fighting each other. So where is the time for development? Agreed, Kerala is the most literate state in the country. So what? Many of educated move out of state.
On a side note, as I have observed, they sit in a tea shop, sip tea, read newspapers, discuss politics (for no apparent reason), and eve tease others who are passing by. Money comes from expat relatives. So why bother to work?
DIO
Quote:
Originally posted by Warrior
Healthcare and education have nothing to do with commies, as seen/known worldwide... its the opposite they want.. ..
Think i difffer on that ..... Cuba has probably the best healthcare ... & it is a communist country
Oh yeah, I can definitely confirm that, as I read they needed a spanish surgeon to treat or look after their head of country....
Here's the news clip..
Quote:
The Associated Press
Published: December 26, 2006
MADRID: A Spanish surgeon who flew to Cuba last week to help treat Fidel Castro on Tuesday denied reports that the Cuban leader was suffering from cancer and insisted that he was recovering slowly but progressively from a serious operation.
"He hasn't got cancer" said Dr. José Luis Garcia Sabrido, chief surgeon at Gregorio Marañón Hospital in Madrid. Garcia Sabrido flew to Havana on Thursday to see Castro and consult with the Cuban leader's medical team on how his treatment was progressing.
Quote:
Originally posted by puttoo
Quote:
Originally posted by Warrior
Healthcare and education have nothing to do with commies, as seen/known worldwide... its the opposite they want.. ..
Think i difffer on that ..... Cuba has probably the best healthcare ... & it is a communist country
