Punjab: Daily Desh Sewak Celebrates Foundation Day
R L Moudgil
THOMAS Isaac, the former finance minister of Kerala and a distinguished economist, asserted that the Left government in Kerala has successfully elevated the standard of living for its ordinary citizens beyond that of any other state in India. He made these remarks during the 29th foundation day ceremony of the Punjabi Daily Desh Sewak at Bhakna Bhawan in Chandigarh on January 1. Isaac highlighted how Kerala has demonstrated that, even at the current stage of economic development, every citizen in the country can be assured of basic needs.
Isaac elaborated on how Kerala achieved a high quality of life despite a lower level of economic growth. He emphasized that well-being is not solely dependent on growth but also on how it is distributed, highlighting Kerala's success as a result of its redistributive strategy. To support his argument, he presented various social indices, as shown in the table below:
Social Indices | Kerala | India |
|---|---|---|
Literacy | 96.2 | 77.7 |
Infant Mortality | 7 | 32 |
Maternal Mortality | 43 | 113 |
Life Expectancy | 76.4 | 70.9 |
Sex Ratio | 1082 | 945 |
Per Capita Income | 216749 | 145680 |
The data provided in the table serves as evidence for Isaac's argument about Kerala's successful redistributive strategy.
Regarding population growth, he noted that Kerala's rate is only 5.2, in contrast to the Indian average of 9.0. Additionally, he highlighted the birth rate figures, stating that Kerala's rate is 12.2, while India's is 16.
He emphasized the crucial role of land reforms in driving agricultural development, pointing out that previously, 70 per cent of land holdings were concentrated in the hands of just 5 per cent of the population. He underscored the impact of education on the population, citing an example that even individuals in trades such as carpentry or plumbing in Kerala possess the ability to read and write in English – an essential skill for communication when working abroad. He disclosed that remittances from Gulf migration in the 2000s, involving 20 lakh migrants, accounted for 30 per cent of the gross state domestic product (GSDP).
Thomas Isaac also addressed three major challenges faced by the Kerala government: second generation problems and petty production, low productivity, and infrastructure deficit and the education, unemployment problem.
Ripudaman Rippy extended a warm welcome to the guests and the audience at the function. Sukhwinder Singh Sekhon, managing director of daily Desh Sewak and state secretary of the Party, welcomed Thomas Isaac and conveyed New Year greetings to the audience. During his address, Sekhon provided a brief history of the newspaper, which was originally published in the 1920s but had to be discontinued due to repeated arrests of its editors by the British government in an attempt to stifle its voice. He narrated how Comrade Surjeet made sincere efforts to revive its publication, and eventually, it resumed publication from its present premises in Chandigarh on January 1, 1996.
Gurdarshan Singh Khaspur, member of Desh Sewak managing committee, conducted the proceedings. Bhup Chand Channo, member of Desh Sewak managing committee, delivered the vote of thanks.
