“Energizing Kerala”


The title seems to be atypical, since it is Kerala which seems to be the only place in the world where Keralites seem to need to get some energizing .If we take a glimpse around the globe, we get to see Keralites ubiquitously working very hard in challenging and demanding jobs; from unskilled employees in the Middle-East to highly valued researcher in USA, demonstrating their entrepreneurial talent and accomplishing notable successes. Therefore one wonders what is that which prevents them to do the same in their own home state. Is it lack of resources; attitude; developmental model or state politics??Is it all of them put together??
It is inquisitively surprising that Keralites are said to put in long hours of work in places like Gulf, where their standing is very high due to their reputation of being extremely reliable and hard working. Whereas back at home in Kerala, they are said to be laid-back and prone to striking. How is it that the people tend to behave completely different in two different places? The answer is not difficult to guess – the reason is politicised milieu back at home. This is a repute which is hurting Kerala. There is a certain popular story as to how BMW had been convinced to set up their car manufacturing factory in the state due to the initiative of the state government. When the higher ups of the car manufacturer arrived in the state capital to ink the agreement, they were welcomed by a state bandh. The state had been shut down, shops closed and cars blocked on the streets. The reason was over some petty local politics. But BMW executives beat a rapid withdrawal. The project was eventually awarded to neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
          There are plenty of essential things which the state of Kerala has got it right. There was a famous study in eighties which drew amazing parallels between USA and Kerala. The expectancy of life of a male in States is about 72, whereas that of a Kerala male is about 70.Literacy rates hovers around 99 % in Kerala, in US its about 95 %.The birth rate in Kerala is 18000 and falling, whereas in America it’s about 16000.Interestingly, the gender ratio is also similar; 1050 females in United States and 1040 females in Kerala for every respective 1000 males; this in a country like India where national ratio has dropped to 930 women for 1000 men. Other aspects which are comparable include death rates, number of newspapers per lakh population and number of hospital beds proportionate to population. However glaring mismatch arises with respect to annual per capita income; which is about $400 in Kerala, whereas in US it’s seventy times as much, about $23,500.
Due to its excellent demographic indicators, state of Kerala is associated with ‘developed’ status. Popular in common  parlance as “ Malayali Miracle”, it’s success in practising tolerance and openness; a state where ethnic and religious diversity is a part of proud heritage rather than social divisions; a state which overcame class divisions and caste discrimination through land reforms, education and working political democracy; a state which has honoured it women enabling them to lead empowered and fulfilling lives; a state which has given its subjects rights and minimum wages more than anywhere else in India. However, despite all its fortes, we cannot deny the fact that Kerala has not meaningfully industrialised and moreover it has gained a reputation as a place where investment is a bad idea. Business community seems to have an opinion that Keralites are far too conscious of their rights and not enough of their duties. Investors have an opinion that one cannot get any work done by labour in Kerala due the presence of strong unions. They have many examples to back them: Gwalior rayon plant in Mavur, the Premier Tyre factory in Kalamassery and the Apollo Tyres plant in Chalakudi.
In order to keep up with India’s success story, this has to change. This is the challenge. Certain sections of political class support hartals and bandhs with reason that such popular struggles were responsible for states advancement. It may be true but it’s a thing of the past and any future advances require exertion and work and not strikes. About 20% of the states income is dependent on remittances from abroad, this is not sustainable. It takes about 210 days to start a business in Kochi after taking approvals and permits, whereas the same process would take 80 days in Hyderabad. It does not take long as to why the state languishes in bottom of “Doing Business in India” charts published by World Bank. Narrow roads are not widened because the state government lacks the courage to tell the residents that roads have to be widened in public interest. Per capita IT exports are one of the lowest (lesser than Orissa).This has resulted in a scenario where the brightest of Keralites move out looking for opportunities because of stifling of remunerative work opportunities by domestic politics. Today the world is changing very fast. Old theories and paradigms of economics have been unsettled by global changes. By opposing modernisation, blocking land acquisition for public interest and preventing economic reforms have only worked against the interest of the state. Strong commitment to providing education and health and a stagnant economy have left the state with huge budget deficit. Joseph Collins, a development expert calls it a “bloated social welfare state without the economy to support it”, though he is all praise for its progress on demographic indicators. A welfare culture which is exceedingly populist where political parties promise more and more goodies resulting in more deficits.

There is nothing wrong with the state, its people or resources. It is the direction which has been chosen to move forward. Excessive reliance on NRI remittances won’t solve the problem, since it is personal savings and obviously will be spent on consumption like building houses and purchasing land. The solution lies in attracting investment by being hospitable to them. We won’t be betraying the labour, but only giving them more opportunities. Not that we will become capitalistic, but will use the profits to benefit the people. Not that existing values will be compromised, it will only be enriched.
The change has started a sign of things to come. Recently, Cochin Shipyard built trader class ships for a South American country ahead of schedule. This is an example where labour, though unionised to the last man turned out to be a great asset and not a liability. Techno Park in Trivandrum, a pioneer in the state, has demonstrated that the state has started to succeed in attracting and retaining industries. Good quality of local Engineering graduates coupled with the beauty of the place has worked to the advantage. Investors would rather prefer Kerala rather than ploughing in pollution and traffic congestion of Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore.
This potential can and must be tapped. Kerala must take initiative to develop its creaking infrastructure, exploit services sector, expand its IT exports and become a knowledge economy. If a small IT company in Bangalore can design products for Microsoft, then why can’t the next world beating invention come from Keralite brains in the state? Therefore just remittances from abroad are not enough. It means that MNCs from abroad and private players must think that investing in Kerala is good idea and must expect rich dividends. Therefore there must be a change in mindsets.
In order to be a knowledge economy, the state has to open up its mental horizon and become more open to new ideas and ideologies. This is possible by organising literature festivals, conferences and so on. Recently such events have been organised and has been received enthusiastically by the people. This reflects their hunger to be part of today’s world and be its leaders. With its imposing literacy levels Kerala can be the intellectual centre of India. It is really surprising that Trivandrum Tech park which is the oldest in the country is also the least global in terms of its organisation. This despite the fact that there is a large pool of educated people, good working environment and low operational cost. Hence efforts to bring in biggies to set up shop in our state must be undertaken. Redistribution in Kerala has been successful, now the focus has to shift towards management, formulating new policies towards production. However this knowledge economy cannot employ all Keralites. Therefore agriculture has to be improved especially cereal, fruit and vegetable production. This in turn can boost exports. Efforts must be taken to develop industries beyond construction of houses for NRKs!
Not that there are only negative aspects about the economy. Even without much economic growth, redistribution has made Kerala a good place to live proving that sharing works. Also, there are certain facets where Kerala has done amazingly well and must continue to do so: especially in “Sustainable Development”. To give an example, the model of “People's Resource Mapping Program”; which goes beyond the concept of ‘literacy’ to the domain of ‘land literacy’. In rural areas of Kerala, the residents have begun mapping the land in a detailed manner showing depth to the water table, topography, soil type and depth to the bed rock. Looking at the maps, they can decide where the planting has to be done to prevent erosion. Also during the dry season, paddy owners lease their land to grow vegetables referring to soil types. Otherwise unemployed youth tend the land. As a result, vegetables are grown and sold at local markets at a rate far less than vegetables imported from elsewhere in India. It shows the effective combination of literacy, cooperation, participation and democracy. This also represents economic growth per se that does no harm. The amount of money spent on transport, packaging and advertising goes down drastically.
What is admirable about Kerala is that with its high levels of education and it’s and embedded commitment to fairness, it has a stabilized population; it does not sprint simply to stay in place. It is a state that has managed to put more of its people in employment for liveable though low wages. Keralites grow their own food, manufacture items they need and take part in the world economy modestly by attracting large number of tourists, exporting rich cash crops like spices and sending workers abroad. Food scientist Will Alexander says “Kerala is the one large human population on earth that currently meets the sustainability criteria of simultaneous small families and low consumption."
In today’s world Gross national product is often used to measure a nation’s achievement. How effective is the method is not the subject of discussion. It is said that for every dollar spent in US or its equivalent anywhere in the world, a litre of oil is used for production and packing the goods. So it’s like half the income means half the damage to the planet. We can infer that if US and Kerala have managed the same quality of life, Kerala is far more successful society. In the light of growing awareness about environment, Kerala sends a strong message: stagnant but stable economy that serves its people well. Kerala has also been a pioneer in PPPs in 1994 with the construction of Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery. This model of development was emulated only a decade later in the rest of the country.
Kerala has already demonstrated that a low level economy can create good life for its people abundant in things which matter –education, community, democratic pluralism, participation and health creating less waste and making use of fewer resources. What is now required for the state heading for future is be open to the ideas and unafraid of confluence of the outside world, liberate and unfetter the creative energy of its people. This is possible if we can the attitudes and work with resoluteness to accomplish it. As Shashi Tharoor puts it “God’s Own Country no longer deserves the business reputation of being the devil’s playground.”

The End