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Call for a new vision on State's development

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPUARM, FEB. 5. The former chairman of ISRO K. Kasturirangan has called for the creation of a new vision for the development of Kerala without at any time overlooking its rich traditions and culture.

He was delivering the V.K. Krishna Menon memorial lecture on `Science Technology, Environment and Social Change' at a function organised by the Bodhananda Research Foundation for Management and Leadership Studies here today.

Much needs to be done to document and highlight Kerala's legacy in the fields of medicine, astronomy, metallurgy, etc. Systematic study of Kerala's rich heritage, the documentation of its crafts and understanding of the various manuscripts and archaeological artefacts could throw much light on these aspects, he said.

Agriculture

On the agricultural front, it is alarming to note that food grain production in the State appears to have almost reached a plateau. "Future agricultural growth should accrue from improvements in productivity of diversified farming systems with regional specialisation and sustainable management of natural resources, especially land and water," he said.

Water needs

The pattern in demand for water in the State is undergoing a change. Therefore, besides improving the management of canal water, there is an urgent need for initiating integrated development of water resources, rainwater harvesting and for an optimal utilisation of the developed water sources. It would also be a pragmatic step to restore temple ponds and lakes in the State, Dr. Kasturirangan said.

Though the estimated sustainable yield of marine resources off the Kerala coast is about 5.7 lakh tonnes, the State is able to tap only 50 per cent of this. Efforts should be made to provide fishermen with trawlers that have deep-sea fishing capabilities while improving inland fishing through utilisation of fast growing fish species, he said. It is also possible to double the quantity of fish caught by using remote sensing satellites, he said.

Dr. Kasturirangan said that the river systems and wetlands in the State have been subject to considerable degeneration due to uncontrolled pollution. For sustainable development it is vital to keep the fragile balance between productivity functions and conservation practices, he said.

Disaster management

On the disaster management front, Kerala needs to develop a Geographical Information System (GIS)-based system to address disaster-related aspects. Such an information system could provide a critical decision support to policy makers to deal with natural disasters.

Moreover, the Coastal Regulation Zone should be protected from degradation and the mangroves in the coastal areas restored to their original extent, he said.

As the developed world at large is facing a serious shortage of teachers, technicians and healthcare professionals, the establishment of more institutions to create trained manpower in these sectors should be given importance. Though Kerala has emerged as the most acclaimed tourism destination in the country, building a world-class tourism infrastructure in terms of accommodation, transportation, proper water supply and energy systems are vital to the development of this industry, he said.

Even though the initiatives of the Government of Kerala in the information and communication technology sector are in the positive direction, the State's hardware and software industries have a lot of potential to grow.

"Out of the total exports of software in 2002-03, 56 per cent was from south India. In that Kerala's share was only Rs. 185 crores, as compared to the Rs. 14,100 crores of Karnataka," Dr. Kasturirangan pointed out.

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