|
|
|
|
Dr. Raju M. Mathew
President &CEO, IFKT
P.B. No 10, Calicut University
Kerala-673635, India
(This article is a recent release to the press)
Kerala needs realistic and down to earth development strategies based on the geographical and physiographical conditions of the land and above all the skills, the mind set, the brainpower and knowledge bases of its young people. Such strategies are very much difficult to formulate and quite different from the western capitalist or socialist paths that are very much familiar and easy to copy down for the politicians, bureaucrats and economists and planners. That is why, all the development strategies put into practice in Kerala failed miserably in spite of the rosy pictures that they have projected.
Incompatible Western Strategies
The western development strategies, both capitalist and socialist or communist, are based on the four factor and three sector theories. The four factors of production are land, labor, capital and organization and the three sectors of the economy are agriculture, industry and services. Development, according to the western strategy means over exploitation of the factors of production and thereby attains growth in agriculture, mining, deforestation and fishing on the one hand industrial productions and finally the service sector. By taking into account the culture and mindset of the young people and the geographical and physiographical conditions, the above noted development strategy is totally incompatible and counter productive in
Kerala.
Land and People
Kerala is a narrow strip pressed between high mountains and deep seas with very limited flat or straight land suitable for large scale farming with provisions for water storage and irrigation. Deforestation, large scale farming and construction works in the hilly tracks lead to increasing land sliding during monsoon rains. With the high density of environment conscious and pollution fearing population, no intensive farming is suitable for Kerala. Modern farming techniques necessitate the applications of chemical pesticides and fertilizers regularly at high degrees besides regular irrigation. Since Kerala has been facing acute drinking water shortage at least for four to six months in a year, water intensive cultivation is not at all feasible in Kerala. The above noted conditions are equally applicable in the case of industrialization of Kerala. The high density of population with shortage of land prevents all attempts of mining and pollution causing farming and industrialization.
People even in the remotest villages demand modern independent houses, roads, electricity, colleges, hospitals, shopping complexes and computer and communication networks and services. The youngsters in Kerala are very much happy to work in the service sector rather than the farms or factories.
The mind set of Malayalees has been conditioned by the axiom set forth by Thuncheth Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam language and culture. It states “vidhya dhanam sara dhanal pradhanam”, that is, of all forms of wealth, knowledge or education is the supreme. People in Kerala, irrespective of their religion or caste, have some basic understanding of the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bible, the Koran, Marxism and the latest trends in world literature, besides their regular habits of reading news papers and watching TV. As a result the Kerala brain power is conditioned to process and grasp different types and domains of knowledge within a short span of time. In other words, Kerala is enriched with the best brainpower of the world very much suitable for the Knowledge Industries and bringing out a series of knowledge products and services globally.
Fall of IT Industries
The projected growth and earning of the I T Industries, especially the Software Development and exports are unfounded without taking into account the near future realities. Information Technology has reached very near to its saturation point in advanced countries on the one hand and IT could not penetrate in most of the developing countries. Further, the labor–intensive software development would easily become automated or machine intensive within three to five years and as a result thousands of software engineers and programmers would be thrown out of employment and the remaining work force would be encountered with wage cuts. The high growth and earning of the software export companies in India are a short term phenomena.
Knowledge Industries
Knowledge is as old as humanity and all societies having long traditions have recognized the value and importance of knowledge. The Vedas and Upanishads originated in India between three thousand to five thousand years ago have clearly stated that Knowledge as wealth and power. Knowledge Industries are designed to bring the entire knowledge scattered in hundreds of domains and disciplines into a unified system and to provide knowledge products and services to the entire mankind at affordable cost and easily understandable format. In other words, knowledge is made as a product for mass consumption ands thereby the optimal utilization of knowledge for the unimaginable development of education and culture and scientific research and increasing application of knowledge in the diverse human activities and production processes. Since knowledge is ever growing, there is a need for bringing out value-added and innovative knowledge products on regular bases.
Development Strategy
All these necessitated in formulating a different development strategy for Kerala based on human resources, more specifically the brainpower, knowledge bases and professional skills and expertise. The only option for the survival and development of Kerala is Knowledge Industries. Knowledge Indsutry could be developed only by developing Knowmatics and Knowledge Technology for which a world or national centre must be established with private or public funding to the extent of Rs 10 to 20 crores.. For the development of Knowledge Industries in Kerala an outlay of Rs 20,000 cores is required and for which the best companies or corporations of Indian or abroad must be invited , exposing the untapped brainpower and knowledge bases of Kerala. The whole Kerala State must be declared as a single Knowledge Industry Township, thanks to the high level digital connectivity of Kerala even at the remotest villages..
Kerala must be provided with world class education system for meeting the world need for knowledge workers to provide knowledge products and services globally. Kerala needs world class education, training and research institutes rather than the existing mediocre ones. Kerala health care services, under different systems of medicine, like Ayurveda, Homeopathy besides Modern Medicine must be developed as the best system of the world with a series of multi- or super specialty hospitals and clinics.
Protection of environment and the conservation of nature and rainwater must be given highest priority besides the provision of uninterrupted power supply. Kerala must construct and maintain world class roads, railways and airways to attract foreign investments and expertise in the growing Knowledge Industry.
Kerala must be declared totally free from pollutions from chemical fertilizer and pesticides and all types mining and pollution generating industries. Cultivation of fruit bearing trees and plants besides timber, vegetables and medicinal plants and herbs must be encouraged. Fish farming and farming of domestic animals and birds must be made as a major agenda of development.
Kerala needs an innovative and unconventional development strategy, quite unfamiliar to the old molded western capitalist or socialist or communist thinkers, planners, politicians and bureaucrats. Such a strategy must be formulated by taking into account the geographical and physiographical conditions of the land and the mindset, the brainpower and knowledge bases of its people. This is basically a pro-youth and future oriented one though quite familiar to old molded thinkers and leaders.
Knowledge Industries Destination
Kerala is the most suitable place on earth for the development of Knowledge Industries mainly due to the brainpower and knowledge bases of its people besides high IT literacy and digital connectivity even at the remotest villages. The geographical and physiographical conditions of the land and the mind set of its people have transformed them highly suitable for the Knowledge Industry for the provision of knowledge products and services for the entire global market. Therefore it is quite natural for the high growth and future-oriented companies or corporations to set up their operations and multi-billion dollar business in
Kerala.
International Forum for Knowmatics and Knowledge Technology (IFKT) would provide the necessary guidance and consultation services for the global business players to develop their own knowledge products and services and to set up their companies and operations for the ever growing global multi-billion dollar market. Dr. Raju M. Mathew can be contacted byLand Phone/Fax :0091-494-2400859 ; Mobile :0091 9847411945;
E-mail: rajoocyber@yahoo.com
|