Literacy vs Industrial Growth

Kerala has the highest literacy in India. Kerala has higher literacy than the United States or Europe as a whole! Remarkable, isn't it? But how are we using this literacy? In what way it has affected our state's progress. The following map shows the industrial progress.

Here Kerala alongwith Orissa, Assam and Kashmir are the most backward states in terms of industrial production! Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madras are leading here.

At the same time we all know that Malayalees constitute a large percentage of the clerical and technical work force in Bombay and other cities. Keralalites also work like hell, once they reach the promised land of Gulf countries. But inside Kerala, we don't work at all. Our white collar civil servants ("") are the worst in the world. Politics, newspaper reading, coming late, going early, misusing the public facilities, bandh and strikes... nobody can beat us! Papers and files just don't move in our Government offices. If someone wants to work, he will be persecuted by colleagues and the political masters.

Trade Union movements, originally started by Communist Parties to 'liberate' the agricultural labourers, today serve only the vested interest of the leaders. Politically motivated strikes have destroyed all private enterprises. The public ones like KSRTC and scores of industries in Alwaye are all on heavy loss. Productivity in Kerala factories are very low. Nobody can invest here, in such a situation. Bribery and corruption are there everywhere.

Communists Parties in Kerala should take the major blame for destroying the industrial backbone of the state. In recent years other parties too have managed to organize equally bad trade union movements. Then there is this question: why there is so much corruption in a state mostly ruled by leftist parties only?

Anyone who has got a Govt. job, there is no excuse for not doing his work properly. Low salary or high salary, he is still better off compared to the vast majority who don't enjoy a monthly salary!

Coconut and coir Industry destroyed!

Kerala had once world monopoly on Coir production. But our exports suffered because of low quality, adulteration, lack of modernization etc. Many Western countries who used to use coir in the ships, now found, synthetic alternatives. Locally the industrial disputes and strikes resulted in lock outs.

Unless we transform the agricultural products into industrial commodities, price cannot be sustained. Coconut is the classical example for Kerala. Coconut price was solely dependent on coconut oil price - which is governed by oil consumption for cooking and for soap production. There are alternatives in both areas today! Also soap manufacturers deliberatly manipulate the prices. Our Trade Union leaders and their political masters shamelessly take bribe from big multinationals!

Toddy is produced in large quantity. But it is not used for making Vinegar. Instead, what we get in the shop is synthetic vinegar - a really pathetic situation.

In the Pacific Ocean islands where coconut is produced, it is used for making rum and light drinks for export and in the manufacture of chocolates ('bounty' a well known brand). Sri Lanka and Thailand are exporting dessicated coconut powder and milk to the West. We do nothing of that sort!

Coconut was taken as an example. One can go on like this with rubber, pineapple and so on. Soon other commodities like pepper, cloves, cardamom will be affected. So longa s we have third class political parties and leaders, the state will be pushed to backward. Of course, so long as the artificial 'blood supply' of Gulf money continues, nobody will notice the fall!