Social interventions driven by grassroots demands paved way for the comparatively high standards of living in Kerala, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac has said.
He was speaking while inaugurating the 40th annual conference of the Indian Association for the Study of Population (IASP) that got under way on the Karyavattom campus of the University of Kerala on Thursday. The three-day conference is based on the theme ‘population, nutrition, and development’.
Pointing out that education, health care, and nutrition were the prime movers of the State’s growth in terms of human development index (HDI), Dr. Isaac said the government’s policies had been influenced by demands that were generated through various social movements.
He, however, added that the State could not afford to rest on its laurels as effective steps were required to address many other challenges that emerged. “Despite our progress in the field of health care, we have been witnessing a spurt in lifestyle diseases. Likewise, despite ensuring universal education, the State is in dire need of steps to meet global standards of education,” Dr. Isaac said.
Divergent views
The Minister also delved into the divergent views that existed on the concept of development by comparing various growth models known in the country. “Though part of a single country, we have so many regional patterns of development that are linked to social policies, education, health care, and other factors,” he said.
In her keynote address, Argentina Matavel Piccin, United Nations Population Fund Representative, India, and Country Director, Bhutan, called for special focus to ensure the nutrition of girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers to ensure a healthy new generation. The nutritional needs of the elderly population would also had to be addressed, considering the fact that the particular cross-section in the country was likely to increase at a fast pace.
