Kerala Planned Development
Planned Development: Meaning and Necessity
When India got independence, it was mainly dependent on the agriculture. Any economy cannot achieve sustain growth based on the agriculture. Industrial base was very slender at that time. There was widespread poverty and unemployment due to the partition process which weakened the economic backbone of the country. Earlier British looted India for many years. So when India got freedom it was in miserable condition. It was immediate requirement to adopt such a development model which can ensure the overall growth of the country in future.
When our constitution was adopted the protection and development policies are well defined in constitution. The birth of Five Year Plan was for the same purpose of development. In the Constitution the basic objectives were set forth as “The Directive Principles of State Policy”. Among those ‘Directive Principles’ were those
“The State shall strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting, as effectively as it may, a social order in which justice, social, economic and political, shall inform all the institutions of national life”.
Further that—
“The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing—
- that the citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood;
- that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to sub serve the common good;
- that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment.”
These general principles were given a more precise direction in December, 1954, when Parliament adopted the ‘socialist pattern of society’ as the objective of social and economic policy. This concept, which embodies the values of socialism and democracy and the approach of planned development, involved no sudden change, and had its roots deep in India’s struggle for freedom.
Thus, planned development was the means for securing with the utmost speed possible, a high rate of growth, reconstructing the institutions of economic and social life and harnessing the energies of the people to the tasks of national development.
Planned Development-Kerala:
In Kerala more than 65% people were engaged in agriculture from the beginning. The another reason was the lack of developed infrastructure in the beginning and lack of mineral prevents the industrial growth of the state. Later entrepreneur set up was developed in agriculture sector. New investment was made in IT sector. Here development process of all the sectors are briefed below-
Agriculture:
From the beginning state has been dependent on agriculture. State produces rice, black pepper, natural rubber, coconut, tea, coffee, cashew and spices like cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Kerala alone produces 97% black pepper and 85% rubber of the total production of the country.
In 1970 availability of rice are widespread in the country resulting in the fall of the production of rice in state. So seasonal crops and perennial tree crops are preferred over the production of the rice.
During 2015-16, the Government of Kerala announced plans to establish 150 production units under Coir Udyami Yojana, 600 units under Mahila Coir Yojana and 5 units under the Development of Production Infrastructure scheme.
Tourism:
Kerala is one of the most favourite destinations in India. In 2012 Kerala is named as “ten paradise of the world” and “50 must see destination of a lifetime” by the National Geographic Traveller magazine.
Kerala remains very beautiful destination from the beginning and development took place in terms of infrastructure, cleanness, maintenance and rejuvenation of the beaches and historic places over the years. Here beaches, water falls, lakes, mountain range, greenery, wildlife sanctuaries, ancient places and religious places are the major attraction for the tourists.
In the early days Kerala was unknown to both national and international tourists. Proper marketing and proper policies adopted by the state government positioned the state on the first rank. In 1986 Kerala was the first state who declared tourism as important industry and used the tag line like “God’s own country” to attract the tourist.
Education:
Education played major role in the development of Kerala. Kerala is the state holding first position in literacy. There is previous history of development of the state which helps the state in gaining the better gender equity also.
A major policy reform of the educational system in Kerala was the introduction of the Kerala Education Rules in 1959. This was mainly to put an end to the growth of corruption in the appointment of teachers, admission of students and management of schools in the private sector. It was intended to implement nationally accepted reforms in school administration and management. Special education efforts were made for the reserved class students.
Industry:
The sluggish growth of the manufacturing sector in Kerala in the post-independence period when the country was embarked on a path of rapid industrialisation and the state was under severe pressure to generate productive employment opportunities. Lack of minerals like coal and iron was the main reason for the industrial growth.
The major developed industries were agriculture product based like coir, oil milling, tile making and cashew industry. Over the period of time there have been development of new industries and development of existing industries have been taken place. IT firms invested in the state. Productivity increases by the adoption of new technologies. As of July 2016, Kerala has nine operational IT/ITeS SEZs which are located in Kakkanad, Thiruvanthapuram, Pallipuram Village, etc. Leading IT companies such as TCS, Infosys and UST are providing job opportunities and the industry is expected to add 23,500 new jobs by 2017.
Tourism is the key factor affecting and prompting the state economy. Due to tourism itself, Kerala became the state of the highest consumption of alcohols. Today Kerala is among top choices of visitors.
As per budget 2016-17, the Government of Kerala proposed an outlay of US$ 2.13 million for khadi and village industries. Moreover, the Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Board has been provided with a financial assistance of US$ 152.76 thousand for the establishment of Gandhi-Khadi Museum at Payyannur,