Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday criticised Kerala for poor utilisation of assistance under Centrally- sponsored schemes and advised the State government to show more interest and sincerity in implementation of such programmes.
Delivering his speech after inaugurating the Kerala Development Congress, organised by the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Development Studies, an arm of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee here, Dr. Singh said: “Kerala has not derived as much benefit from the Centrally-sponsored schemes as it could have and should have. The Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission is an example. The State government needs to show more interest and sincerity for implementation of Centrally-sponsored schemes.”
He wanted the State to take a closer look at labour relations in factories and enterprises as part of its effort to improve its image as an investment-friendly place. He said the State should address certain demographic challenges such as providing old-age security. The high dependence on foreign remittances which are extremely vulnerable to international economic developments creates its own problems. As a result, domestic consumption could be severely impacted. The retirement age of 55 years in government service renders people jobless relatively early. The ability of the State to provide old-age security is limited by budgetary constraints. Besides, it would not be possible for the old to migrate to other parts of the country for new opportunities. These challenges can be faced only if Kerala accelerates the pace of economic reforms and creates an enabling environment for private investments for generating new employment opportunities within the State, he said.
Listing out the various Central investments in the State, the Prime Minister said: “Entrepreneurs and investors should see Kerala as an attractive destination. Investors should not feel discouraged because of the state of labour environment. In fact, wages for the work force would automatically go up if it moves to high-end jobs after acquiring the requisite skills.” The Prime Minister also emphasised the need for skill development among the youth in Kerala. The Union government has launched a skill development programme and constituted a National Skill Development Corporation with the aim of imparting training to 500 million people by 2020. “I would urge the Government of Kerala and industry to find ways and means of deriving the maximum possible benefit from these initiatives so that a large number of youth in the State can be gainfully and productively employed.”
Dr. Singh observed that Kerala had the lowest incidence of poverty among major States in the Country. Close to half the population between 15 and 49 years of age complete at least 10 years of schooling in Kerala, compared to 29 per cent in India as a whole. The socio-economic condition of women in Kerala deserves special mention. Girls have a better record than boys in school education. They excel in sports. They outnumber boys in enrolment in higher education. That Kerala society treated women well was evident from the fact that the average life expectancy of women is higher than men by four years, he said.
Emphasising the need to improve the State's physical infrastructure, the Prime Minister pointed out to the contentious issues that needed to be resolved before the task of improving and expanding road infrastructure can be undertaken. The State also needs to improve its performance in power generation and distribution if it wants to create an environment truly conducive to industrialisation, he said.
With regard to agriculture, the Prime Minister stressed the need to improve agriculture productivity, especially in the light of Kerala's predominance in cash crops and the fall in the area under food crops cultivation. “There should be better land and water management. Greater attention needs to be paid towards the implementation of medium and major irrigation projects,” he said.
The inaugural session was presided over by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala, who is also chairman of the RGIDS. Defence Minister A K Antony, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs and Civil Aviation Vayalar Ravi, Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly Oommen Chandy, Education Minister M.A. Baby, Kerala Congress (M) leader K.M. Mani, AICC general secretary Mohsina Kidwai, who is in charge of Kerala, and RGIDS director G Balachandran spoke.
The Prime Minister presented the ‘Maitri Award,' instituted by the KPCC, to noted Gandhian P K Gopinathanan Nair for his contribution in furthering communal peace and harmony and his role in bringing peace in strife-torn Marad. The Prime Minister also released ‘Development and Politics,' authored by Mr. Chennithala, by presenting the first copy of the book to Mr. K.M. Mani.
