The dawn of New Year brings with it the promise of change and new hopes.’Express’ takes a look at the prospects and challenges in store for various sectors such as education, health, industry, IT, power and agriculture, in the year ahead
To hell with moral policing
The Kiss of Love protest fizzled out but it did rip off Kerala’s progressive facade two years ago. Since then the attacks on individual liberty have become more vicious and violent in the state. Cocooned in orthodoxy and patriarchal values, Kerala society provides social legitimacy to these criminal acts of moral policing. On June 28, this year, Nasair Hussain, 42, was thrashed to death by his neighbours after he was seen coming out of a married woman’s house late in the night in Malappuram district. In the wee hours of March 7, a woman and her son returning home by motorcycle were attacked by a gang, “mistaking them for a couple,” in Kozhikode, where the Kiss of Love protest was born. But the police, the judiciary, political parties and religious communities too are caught indulging in regressive pseudo morality. Unless, the patriarchal society curbs its eagerness to play guardian angel to women, this conflict, often violent and detrimental to women, will play out in 2017 and in the years to come.
A self-sufficient farm living
The New Year spells hope for the farmers as 2017 has been declared the ‘Year of the Paddy Crop.’ Self sustenance has been the mantra of the state government as reports continue to pour in on toxic-laced vegetables and fruits from the neighbouring states flooding the Kerala market with no mechanism to monitor them at checkposts or at the marketplace. Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar told ‘Express’ that the aim this year is to bring 50,000 hectares of land in the state under organic cultivation. It is with this aim that the government kicked off the Haritha Kerala Mission by which a ‘Janakeeya Munettam’ is under way to protect water, soil and agriculture. He said that as part of making Kerala self sufficient in vegetable production within the next two years, a production and marketing strategy has been unveiled. As part of it, special agriculture zones will be created so that the department can focus its energy and expertise in them. The first zone to be created is the Vattavada area in Idukki were interest free agriculture loans has already been disbursed.
A wine-red policy
The initial months of 2017 will be an important one for tipplers in the state. The LDF Government plans to come out with liquor policy - read a thorough overhaul of the UDF version - by February. In the meantime, the government will also have to tackle the SC order to close down liquor shops within 500 metres of national and state highways. This, as per the Law Secretary’s advice to the government, will hit state tax revenues heavily. On another front, the LDF Government has to face the ever-strong anti-liquor lobby which includes religious institutions like the church. Archbishop M Soosa Pakiam has made it clear that whether it be the ban proposed by the UDF or abstinence championed by the LDF, what Kerala needs is strong regulations to control liquor sales. And - as they say - last, but not the least, is how far the government succeeds in promoting ‘Neera’ as a truly popular drink, a project that can prop up the ailing coconut sector.
Have politics of warmth, not blood
As people look forward to a new beginning in 2017, a certain fear is looming large in their minds: Will there be any political murders in 2017? Back to back three political murders in October 2016 have given rise to fears that political violence could any time make a come back in the state and unleash terror in the state. Though the political scene has remained calm for the last two months in 2016, people are yet to be convinced on the strong political will of the parties in ensuring a peaceful atmosphere in the state where fight between RSS and CPM alone have claimed over 250 lives since 1969. Much now depends on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who has already taken the initiative in ensuring peace in the state. Also the BJP and the RSS leadership should take effort to chart out a new political chapter in the state ensuring political difference is fought only ideologically and there will be no more blood shed.
Walk the talk on business matters
The year 2016 was not good for the state as it slipped two positions (from 18 in 2015 to 20 in 2016) in the ease of doing business rankings. The implementation percentage of Kerala in Business Reforms Action Plan is a meager 26.97 per cent. “Though we talk lavishly about ease of doing business and single window clearance nothing happens in reality. If a person wants to set up a small company, it will take at least one to two years. The stand of the government should be let the business be started and rectification could be done on the go,” said Raja Sethunath, chairman, Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry. After the shock in the poor performance in ease of doing business rank list, KSIDC has appointed KPMG to submit a comprehensive report on the subject. The idea is to copy best practices in other states. Rajesh Nair, president, TiE Kerala reiterates that 12 months in 2017 is the ideal time to walk the talk in ease of doing business as the majority of states have marched ahead of us.
Digital state tag intact
Kerala is the first state in the country to attain the status of the ‘complete digital state’. The state boasts of a 100 per cent mobile density, 75 per cent e-literacy, highest digital banking rate and broadband connection up to panchayat level. In 2017, dependence on Mobile apps will increase in the state. Some of the major infrastructure projects like Kochi Metro Rail had already planned a dedicated App and Smart Card for travelling in various modes of transport. Local bodies too are expected to give priority to E-Governance project in its budget. Kerala is also the first state to successfully link its villages with broadband and there are more than 2,500 Akshaya centres in rural and urban areas in the state. This will help in shifting to digital platform without much hassles.
Roads to safety
With an average of 12 accident deaths reported per day, the state roads offer a tough challenge to the real battlefields. 3,093 deaths were reported officially in 264 days of 2016 with Ernakulam district topping the chart closely followed by Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur.
‘End that bumpy ride’
KSRTC continues to be a major embarrassment for the government with employees protesting every month for their salary. But it looks like the government is firm on ending its inherent inefficiencies. With the backing of Transport Minister A K Saseendran, new managing director M G Rajamanickam has taken bold decision to cut the slack. But trade unions are not happy with the reforms that affect salaries. The LDF Government which came to power in May is against taking loan for salary payment. This year KSRTC experimented with its fleet and fuel. But the minister acknowledged that innovations would take a back seat as KSRTC was struggling for its existence.
A shaggy dog story
When it comes to stray dogs, Kerala, a state that boasts of the highest literacy rate in the country, behaves like savages. This man-animal conflict and the parading of carcases have affected the state’s reputation badly while the bloody images of attacking dogs send chills down your spine. Though the news on canine attacks has come down in the last two months, the possibility of a backlash cannot be ruled out.
So Sally Kannan, who works for a better relation with dogs, plans of a new year in line with the World Health Organisation which advocates - educate (the public) vaccinate (the dogs) and eliminate (rabies). We have to make an awareness about dogs in the public.
KSEB needs ‘power’
The year 2016 underscores one important lesson for the state’s power sector; it cannot bank on power imports forever. New central policies, such as the one allowing home-states to claim more power as their share from new Central generating stations, will hit Kerala, a state which has a few such stations and imports 70 per cent of its daily demand. 2017 will be an important year for the power sector with the LDF Government planning to complete the electrification of all households by March-end. Little was added to the installed capacity in 2016 with big hydel projects - read Athirappilly - taboo on account of environmental concerns. Truant monsoons, and non-availability of inter-state transmission lines to bring in purchased power will be amongst the biggest challenges that the sector will face in the new year.
Policing, not police excesses
The recent denunciations against state police for taking unilateral decisions clearly indicate the lack of clear policy and effective hands in the department. A few officers are manoeuvring to implement the policing in their own manner, which resulted in drawing severe criticism from various corners, including from the ruling front’s top brass. Though Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself reiterates that any kind of torture is not the policy of the Left Government, the state has witnessed a couple of custodial torture instances reported in the past few weeks. The differences of voice within the CPM over the handling of police force came out in the open, following the killing of two alleged ‘Maoist cadre’ in Nilambur. Recently, the State Police have decided to review the cases registered under UAPA, under the supervision of DGP Loknath Behera.
Needed: A clean bill of health
Health sector in Kerala, till recently won accolades from various quarters with the sterling performance of both government and private sector hospitals. However, the apathy of the governments and some money mongering private hospitals have seemingly sabotaged the equilibrium. The performances of two major wing of State’s Health Department, directorate of medical education (DME) and directorate of Health Service (DHS), were desperately below average. The government should consider the proposal of setting up a medical recruitment board and the new health policy should be announced at the earliest. Even while, private sector hospitals provide finest treatment, most of the major hospitals are unaffordable to poor. There need to have a surveillance system to ensure that patients are not being squeezed with unwanted medical tests. The exorbitant fees in private labs should also be controlled.
‘Primary’ steps in edu sector
The education sector in the state is at a crossroads with a growing aversion among the public towards state-run schools on the one hand and the deterioration in quality of institutions of higher learning on the other. With the Comprehensive Education Modernisation Mission now in place, hopes are afloat about the revival of the public education system especially from classes 1 to VIII. The government has already announced plans to upgrade 1,000 government schools to meet international standards. However, apart from the usual rhetoric to convert colleges into ‘centres of excellence,’ nothing much has been heard in the higher education sector. 2017 would witness the LDF Government implementing its plans to thoroughly revive the school education sector and win back the lost glory of state-run educational institutions.