7 ms·

I do not know about India as a whole making strides in economic growth. It has to do something with the overall education level. I am taking the example of Kera

• kamaal 11y ago
  >> I am from Kerala state & I enjoy almost the same living standards in Kerala as that of US where I am currently working. You've got to be kidding me. The definition of first world country isn't a fast internet connection. Heck US has 2G speeds all over the country. Having world class road/transportation infrastructure, dependable energy security, national security, economic infrastructure, public schools which provide same quality of education throughout country etc. These are some of the things that count as metrics for development. Kerala or any state in India is atleast 5 decades away from the standard of living I've seen in the US.
  • nivla 11y ago
    Well to be fair, under the Wikipedia article GP posted, it clearly says Human Development Index: [1] "From the starting of this index, Kerala has scored high, comparable to developed countries." ..<.. "The statistic is composed from data on Life Expectancy, Education and per-capita GDP (as an indicator of Standard of living)" As far as internet, they are planning on introducing statewide free wifi both in rural and urban sectors. [2][3.1] [3.2] (technical) [3.3] (technical) Now if you want to pick as to how they deal with modern issues, this could be an example. (Kerala becomes first state to unveil transgender policy) [4] So yes while I agree it still has to catchup on some grounds, I don't think its decades away from achieving the standard of living found in the US. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_model#Human_Development_Index https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_model#Human_Development... [2] http://kerala.me/blog/kerala-cities-to-become-wi-fi-enabled-soon/ http://kerala.me/blog/kerala-cities-to-become-wi-fi-enabled-... [3.1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akshaya_project https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akshaya_project [3.2] http://www.networkmagazineindia.com/200403/casestudy02.shtml http://www.networkmagazineindia.com/200403/casestudy02.shtml [3.3] http://tier.cs.berkeley.edu/docs/retreat_oct_05/mubaraq-economic.ppt http://tier.cs.berkeley.edu/docs/retreat_oct_05/mubaraq-econ... [4] http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/kerala-becomes-first-state-to-unveil-transgender-policy/ http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/kera...
    • kamaal 11y ago
      Sorry, to see effects of Kerala model you don't even have to go that far. Keralites can't wait to leave kerala for greaner pastures. Its no heaven. In fact going by the number of Keralites seeking jobs outside their state to merely make a living, Kerala is anything but developed.
• tn13 11y ago
  Take the Kerala story with a pinch of salt. Kerala model is loved by the Indian left and is seen as competing model for right's Gujarat model. The state was ruled by communists for long time but almost all parties focused on redistribution of wealth including forcibly taking away people's land and giving it away to others. Over years economists like Amartya Sen have spoken about the model using it to demand that Indian government focus on redistribution. There are pretty good counter arguments against Kerala Model too as outlined by Prof. Bhagvati in his book "Why growth matters". Kerala in 18th century was ruled by a king named Marthanda Varma who focused on trade. Unlike other states his lowered taxes, invested extensively in building trade routes, waterways etc. Through some clever ideas he also made his kingdom war-proof. This was the period during which Kerala bloomed economically. By the time British colonized India Kerala was already far superior in health,economy and education compared to other states which are ravaged by war, British plunder etc. (British could not plunder Travancore Kingdom in Kerala as much as they would have liked compared to say Kolkata which was another trade port.) Since 1947 to 2016 Kerala's progress on most parameters is pretty slow despite huge government spending. Kerala spends 7 times more on public health per capita than Punjab to get results only marginally better than Punjab. Despite having the highest per capita government spending on health, Kerala has even higher private expenditure on health than most other states to get results only marginally better than other states. Despite the focus on redistribution Kerala has highest income inequality in the country.
  • sremani 11y ago
    Kerala was third poorest state in India when Communists came into rule in 1953. I will commend the communists for improving the socio-economic indices, not sure but perhaps the only state with 100% literacy in India, which they have done in 90s. But because of the LDF coalition, many businesses have stayed out of the state, on the economic front Kerala has ways to go.
    • baytrailcat 11y ago
      Totally agree. Kerala is probably the most anti-industrial/anti-capitalist state in India. A majority of the working population earn their livelihood abroad (mostly Middle East), sends money and keeps the local economy running.