The Hindu Business Line : Yet another vision

IT appears that the drubbing that the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) received in the recent elections to Kerala's local bodies has forced Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to refocus his government's sights on development and growth. Last week he announced a new developmental initiative called `Kerala Vision 2010'. Apart from incorporating the 10 suggestions made by the President of India to the Kerala Legislative Assembly during his recent visit, the Chief Minister added three suggestions made by him and the Opposition in the Assembly.

The programme will be launched on November 1, Kerala Day, also marking the beginning of the Golden Jubilee of the formation of the State. According to the Chief Minister, "development and security" will be the main message of the programme. Five task forces have been formed for the implementation of the programme. These relate to the thrust areas of Vision 2010, namely: Knowledge, Development, Education and Research; Knowledge Products, Knowledge Industry and Knowledge Services; Agriculture, Agro/Food Products and Fishing; Tourism and Smart Waterways; and Poverty Alleviation, Traditional Industries and Disadvantaged Groups.

All this would seem to suggest some sort of industrial rejuvenation in Kerala. That is far from true. Unluckily, some truths - however unpalatable - remain constant. In a study on `Unravelling the mysteries of State-level performance', done in 2001, Jeffrey D Sachs, Nirupam Bajpai and Ananthi Ramiah of the Center for International Development, Harvard University, wrote: "Kerala's poor economic performance can be attributed to a limited focus on, and growth of, the commodity production sector. Although the economic structure has changed somewhat (i.e. a decline in the primary sector and a rise in the tertiary sector), it has not seen a deepening of its industrial base."

Further, the economists added, "Kerala's private investment is very low - as a percentage of Gross State Domestic Product, investment in private projects in Kerala accounted for a mere 1.77 per cent, making it the poorest State in this regard."

The situation has changed only marginally in the four years since that assessment. Thus, any vision for Kerala's industrialisation must necessarily address this fundamental flaw. In this case, Oommen Chandy's vision seems somewhat limited. In any case, as metaphors go, "Vision 2010" is rather stunted, going by the original eye chart from which it is derived.

Devised in the 1800s, it established 20/20 as the standard of size letter most people who didn't need glasses could see from a distance of 20 feet. However, as the American Optometric Association says, "Vision is more than the concept of visual acuity, clearness of sight, or 20/20 vision. Good vision also involves the ability to use the eyes for extended periods of time without discomfort, to analyze and interpret information and to respond to what is being seen."

As he sets about to prod Kerala into an industrial trot, the Chief Minister would do well to mull over those words. Perfect vision, after all, calls for more than mere binocular vision.

The writer can be contacted at kgkumar@gmail.com

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