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6/1/1995 - Kerala: A Development Model? Part I by Pramila Jayapal

PART1 Kerala A Development Model BYPRAMILAJAYAPAL BANGALORE India June Kerala GreenGatewaytoIndia isoneofthesmalleststatesin India Itisanarrowfingerofland occupying38 863squarekilometers onIndia southwest coast The legend ofKerala landwas ofVaruna thegodofthe Parasurama ofthe tenavatars incarnations Lord Vishnu Varuna Parasu ramathathe couldhave allthe landhe couldcoverbythrowingdown parasu Parasurama axwasthrowninto causing watertorecedefromKanyakumaritoGokarnam ThisformedKerala Accordingto historybooks Kerala Statewasformedin India linguistic reorganization combined princely statesofTravancoreandCochin ruledbyMaharajas withtheMala yalam speaking Madras Presidency called Malabar In census Kerala spopulationwasapproximately29million densely populated states India Bordered theeastbytheWesternGh hills 1600kilometersinlength andon south Lakshadweep Sea Kerala always mained isolated events taking place throughout India However because coastal location abundant indige spices Keralawas aprime destination Arab Portuguese Dutch traders As result Keralites treat foreigners withsome ofnonchalance andsomeof themajorcities areunusualblends typicalKeralaandDutchorPortuguese architecture The state topography varies beautiful coconut lined beaches Kovalam hilly ranges Western Ghats withitsthick fertilenaturalforests Smallandlargestreams lagoons rivers andinthe highlands waterfalls areintermingledwiththelush green paddies Rubber plantations common inthe fertilereachesofthe hills ginger cardamomandpeppergrow Kerala coast filledwithlongsweeps ofwhite sandbeaches raging thesummermonths abounty offishingboatsbob often treacherous Because Kerala diversity beauty recently ranked third preferred destina tionin theworldbyaLondon basedtravelsurvey Kerala often touted development model nationally internationally If looks statistical indicators tainly Accordingto census literacy percentversusthe nationalaverage percent andprimary school education Literacy females percent Kerala death national average Infant mortality against Sub Saharan Africa other Asian countries Life expectancy relatively years Family campaigns extremely successful resulting population growth The public health system hasbeen Pramila ayapal isanInstituteFellowspendingtwoyearslivingamidandwriting about societal issues inwidelydiverseregionsofIndia widely develo primary clinics available majority ofKerala population For other devel oping areas India indeed world Kerala possibility toward which strive Many different theories forth plain Kerala success three commonly cited Nayar castes matrilineal system gressiveness Kerala rulers election Communist government state first elections I spent month Kerala talking women villages cities meeting researchers activists explore whether Kerala really modelitappears Doesthe roster ofstatistical cators accurately reflect social economic reali ofmen womenand families Doesit giveanindica happiness opportunity progress Are people today really better Kerala elsewhere India their perspective This newsletter JAMMUAND AFGHANISTAN KASHMIR PAKISTAN New Delhi U I TARPRADESH Jaipur Lucknow GUJARAT Bhopal Jabalpur MADHYA PRADESH Nagpur NAGARHAVELI MAHARASHTRA Poona Hyderabad ANDHRA PRADESH TAMIL NADU Miles address areas literacyand education employment Part II discuss women health environment As willbe apparent areas inextricably linked LiteracyandEducation Literate Kerala Beautiful Kerala Kerala using promote itself these Kerala literacy rates often attributed Communists missionaries earliest efforts support literacy promulgated Ke rulers early 9thand centuries Vedic schoolsandcolleges called salais attached totem supportedby rulers private individu Temples themselves became centers learning social education encouraged particularly through recitation stories acting singing devotional songs In 1800s early 1900s enlightened Travancore CHINA RADESH ASSAM BIHAR ORISSA Puri Bangalore tRNATA TAMILNADU Madurai Miles PJ ministration SriMulamTirunalRamaVarmaactively encouraged formation private agencies field education Free primary education cation established For hitherto ignored backward classes governmentschoolsbeganaccepting untouchables educated lower class people taken public service According historian A Sreedhara Menon A Sanskrit College Ayurveda College SecondGrade College forWomenand Collegewere opened inTrivandrum The missionaries helped education tremendously particularly formation ofEnglish language schoolsand education womenandthe lower castes That literacy noticeable Walking streets Trivandrum early morningcool Iwouldseerowsofyoungmensittingon steps closed shuttered shops reading papers Both girls encouraged expected school In talking people seemed quite clear basic education nitelyplayedanimportant people ability derstand example small family impor orwhyhygiene necessary Similarly literacy played people ability desire debate argue demonstrate Kerala politics fiery often splintered Like pendulum public opinionswingsfrom right keeping politicians their Cur rently Kerala governed coalition government includes Communists Because socialist orientation Kerala stranger populist ments Everywhere people together small large groups protest alcoholism environmental destruction toimproveconsumerawareness fight inequalities I agricultural exhibition foundon series posters explaining effects ofdam construction A second explained theneed forconsumerstobe aware oftheTFM orTotal Fatty Matter content An energetic tookme through impassioned account Kumar Rajan Satish ofthe Balaramapuran Weavers Association Malayalam games local international manufacturers naive consumers hiking prices fancy packaging contains lessthan therecommended percentTFM causing vereskinproblems Inowcheckmysoappacketscare fully soaps contain than70percentTFM Literacy thoughnot literacy alone enabled generation lyricists idealists believers It soundromantic itistrue Oneevening Iwassitting darkness Kerala common electricity failures withmyhost family IntypicalKerala style thefamily small house It rained sheets sideways The coconut trees their skinny trunks battered exhausted fighting strong In lovely silent aftermath someone Basil neighbor Basil beautiful voice sings orpoems aswellas songs His clearvoice across Malayalam first about destruction environment though Christian storyfromtheRamayana Basil social consciousness reflected through music example The leaders oftheBalaramapuramWeavers Association M A politics economics engineering speakpoeticallyaboutwhytheyhavedecided tocome their villages weavers Rajan merlya sanyasi tellsmeenthusiasticallyabout great poetswhocame fromweavingtraditions about ofGandhianpractice andabout inthe 15thcen Iwishwecouldgobacktothattim hesaysto seriously Those roots John Peruvantha known environmentalist social worker attheNirmalgram project haswonawards Malayalam writings He describes environmen talbattleswherehewaslashedbetweenhis fingerswith lathi police dragged along thrown several times He speaks highly Institute Current World Affairs Sanskritized Malayalam converting words poetrywith emotion Peruvanthanamwas responsi organizing people successfully protest construction offour major hydro electric projects Whetherthesepeoplehavereceived fullformal ucation seems emphasis going school debate thinking elementary level created context withinwhich people press themselves fully I other places It encouraged certain idealism which practical provides pensation harsh conditions people haveto Many I talked contested literacy government figures claimed It govern mentpropaganda saidoneman Ifapersoncanread write letters government liter It probably government exagger figures researchers It farther cities people readandwrite vernacular Eng speaking ability declines substantially This wasparticularlyevident adivasi tribal communi where children attend often standard schools years Currently literacy adivasis Kerala percent Even though government provide block grants tribals purchase books uniforms tribal people sopoorthat often theyuse these funds forbasic andlivingexpenses rather sending children school However people government gerates figures agree literacy Kerala Serious criticism leveled govern focuses people ernment resting laurels literacy rates usingthemasa statistictobringpraisetoa statewhose praise International reports Kerala literacy health figures quick point unemployment tremely economic future people uncertain regardless orsome might because literacy rates Kerala model shows clearly literacy alone enough guarantee economic social prosperity Ironically though literacy hashadmanypositivebenefits ithasalsocausedasitu ation which people frustrated underutilized This nowhere apparent Kerala labor market LaborandEmployment State level labor policies particularly progressive Kerala Kerala first state establish ployment disability compensation welfare funds function similarly Social Security U S retirement funds Kerala trade unions power wield The Trade Union Act established provided union could formed aminimumof seven people Trade unions PJ exist almost anything perusing recent hundreds trade unions formed I across everything The Head Load Workers peoplewhocarry goodson their heads andThe Auto rickshaw Workers The Cashew Workers formerly primaryindustryin Kerala The Communist government elected first elections afterthe formation ofKerala madeits greatest impact labor activities although socialist mentality existed Kerala before Communists formally power The majority labor reforms introduced years andthe stamp ofequality allworkersseems strongly imprinted Not surprisingly these measureshavemadeKeralaanunattractive place dustries locate themselves It expen companies Kerala retired Joint Com missioner Labor Mr M P N Menon Here wagesforworkersarehigh andtheemployerhastopay somanybenefits Forexample wearenowseeinga cashew factories moving across border Tamil Nadu There their workers halfwhat thave worry about unions other benefits The flight cashew facto Kerala neighboring Tamil Nadu created particularly severe employment problems women sincetheywerethemainworkersinthese factories In addition forsmall unskilled factorywork Keral often overqualified expensive As onemon eylender small village Kavalangad Who needs educated labor force beedi local cigarettes The government recognizes stating The education policy givenundue importance promotion general education neglect development professionalandtechnical education Themore techni industries afraid Kerala because unions organized powerful workers often strike leaving company closed three years Even though severalnew invest ments proposed Kerala I mentioned newsletter people believe those investments eventually approved political partiesandtradeunions aform thatthecom panies arewillingto accept Currently 27percent ofthe state totallabor force million people unemployed Approximately percent these unemployed educated Even startling Kerala contribution India unemploy figures Kerala accounts percent country total population unempl Ke ralamakeup 10percent ofIndia sunemployed Thereis littlenewinvestment great magnitude Kerala result labor absorption private sector stagnant falling A section State entitled The Negative Aspects De velopment honestly acknowledges The state become competitive economy vestorsmovingoutandnonewinvestorscomingin The diminishing private sector public sector primary employer causing overstaffed inefficient Seniority continues basis promotion hires thebottom ladder thereby elimi nating possibility creativity restructuring Corruptioninthegovernment sector isrampant andopenlypracticedat alllevels Anadivasifamilythat Imetinthe hillshadjustrecentlybuiltanewhouse cement They showed their house athatched structure about feetby nowhousedtheirtwo Thenewhousehadcost Rs US build Did thegovernmentloanyou money I asked knowing ginger pepper grows family income would Rs No grant replied I pleasantly surprised Yes expensive grant I hadtopaythegovernmentofficialRs Given government aside grant funds specifically housing adivasis third family house given abribe Withthe recent election K Antony Kerala Chief Minister there corruption addressed Antony known intolerance ofcorruption hasbeennicknamed Mr Clean However pervasive problem rooted partly salaries public officials easily tackled Kerala unemployment pinch severely villages Manyable bodied youngpeople tomoveto Gulf countries elsewhere It estimated there approximately 000workersfromKerala West Asia alone Income Gulf countries counts about percent Kerala income It another paradox Kerala depends migration people abroad continuation The dependence outside income dangerous Ke slong termsustainability ithasalsocreatedmany difficultiesinmaintainingcohesivefamilies itismostly abroad leaving their families Kerala ThosewhostayinKeralaoften sitand stagnate Ata small dairy cooperative Kavalangad Kerala highly educated labor force abigjoke Comeand seehowto generate unemployment Kerala development model Babu Joseph village society convener wryly We produce somewhere processed comes costing Look rubber Kerala probably produces percent country noneofitisprocessedhere Itisallexportedtothefacto riesinRajasthan We forRs 50per andthen there comes things small rubber balloons which twenty times priceofrawrubber Ifthefactorylocatedhere itwould workers Rs whereas Rajasthan theworkerswilltakeRs Andwe theedu cated labor force Kerala understand thatkind ofmoney sowemockthem But least We He himself educatedmanwhohas degree inbotany zoologyand chemistry university Uttar Pradesh He Anadivasiman strippingcane Boothathankettu Institute Current World Affairs Kerala unemployment unable eventually became money lender rowingfromthebankat20percentandre lending 40percent Retired Labor Commissioner Menon feels Ke semphasison higher education negatively affected people desire agricultural labor Peo after educated They white collar clerks peons They expectations andmanyjust wanttowork I heard refrain people during travels Keralites maximummoney andbenefit theminimum amount ofwork Is ittrue Sadly everyoneseems toagreewith fromMenontoBabuJosephtoa socialworkerata women shome severalwell known researchers One researcher modifies slightly Keralites abroad Haven They industrious setting businesses working Gulf countries It theyarehomethattheydon twanttowork noticed phenomenon rickshaw drivers Al neatly lined rickshaw stand waited customers One supposed togototherickshawatthefrontofthelinefirst found three shaws place I wanted little though would charged double poten tially empty return journey Especially afternoon rickshaw wallahs8 would often bleary sleep filled before evenhearingwhereIwantedto Partly because children longer agricultural laborers expensive partlybecause Communists goodjob redis tributing people relatively smallplots isnolongerprofitable formanyvillagers Even though thegovernment hasimplemented alawthatprevents agriculturallandfrombeing filledin withcementforroadsorotherdevelopments leftone clause allowed government officials discretion grant permission special circumstances Corruption cases unprofitability holding agricultural meant morepaddyfields arebeingconverted ement agriculturalproductionhas suffered asharp decline NOTES Because ofinadequateproductionandtheneed everything electricity neighbor states Tamil Nadu price levels increased dramatically making living unaffordable Keralites Kerala capita domestic product relative national capita income declined percent 1960s percent 1990s The State revenue deficit quadrupled years tried maintain progressive pension funds social services without accompanying increase ininvestment revenue TheState istryinghardto attractnewinvestment Its recent develop tourist infrastructure within Kerala respond recent travel survey ranking Agreements being formed interna tional airlines directly Kerala hotels being planned other tourist attractions being devel The developing industry willbringplenty ofnewjobstothepeople The state trying implement measures couraging companies negotiate contracts salary benefits workers which would hopefully limit number strikes Another posed suggestion hasbeen limit thenumberofrecog nized trade unions easier negotiate Particularly political parties splintered begun different unions number unions soared This difficult govern mentto negotiate settlements arebroadlybased Inmanysenses Kerala isbefore itstimeinboth liter labor However mixed blessing recently negative positive Literacy itself cannot provide economic security people In labor arena Kerala neglected necessary generate investment could provide inflow ofrevenueand source Kerala highly killed labor force Sadly isalsotruethatunlesssurroundingstateshave companies standards there incentive company locate Kerala Finally trade unions Kerala willhave tobegin concessions guarantees companies order tomakethe Statemore conducive investment It Kerala sparadox ofdevelopment highly ucated labor force infrastructure intowhichtobe absorbed The world watching Kerala rectify situation Keralites whose lives depend willbewatchingevenmoreclosely WorldDevelopmentReport ExecutiveSummary WorldBank Washington D C A SreedharaMenon ASurveyofKeralaHistory Madras Kerala State Plan Interview Retired Joint Commissioner Labor Mr M P N Menon June Kerala State Plan LeelaGulati IntheAbsenceofTheirMen CentreforDevelopmentStudies Trivandrum Walla isatermcommonlyusedtomeanonewhoowns operates sells Kerala State Plan PJ