Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Terror link: VS blames ‘evil forces’

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has expressed serious concern about reports that certain evil forces are luring young people from the State into terrorist rings in the name of religion.

“There are reports that religious extremism is gaining in strength in different places. The real faithful would stand only on the side of peace, amity and tolerance. But, in the name of religion, certain evil forces are luring and enticing youth into terrorist rings and turning them into worst criminals. Terrorists are enemies of the nation and the people. Reports that there are such elements in most culturally endowed Kerala is shocking. Everybody must support the steps being taken by the government to put down such elements,” Mr. Achuthanandan said in his address over Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) on the eve of the 52nd anniversary of Kerala’s formation.

The Chief Minister said the State must also remain vigilant about the crises likely to arise from the global economic slowdown.

The effects of the economic slowdown were beginning to be felt in the Kerala economy and the government had asked the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) to study which segments of the economy would be affected by the slowdown and to what extent.

Mr. Achuthanandan listed the increasing number of suicides, rising alcoholism, reluctance of the youth to take up gainful employment at a time when the State was experiencing acute shortage of labour in several sectors and the need to make Kerala self-reliant in the production of food articles as some of the serious issues that cried for urgent attention on the occasion of the State’s 53rd birthday.

Putting up a strong defence of the State’s development trajectory, the Chief Minister said Kerala had shown to the world that higher quality of life could be the foundation for better economic growth.

The rate of suicides in Kerala was more than double the national average and called for extremely careful interventions and awareness generation. Although there was acute shortage of hands to work in fields and different other sectors, tens of thousands of youngsters were wasting their time waiting for government jobs, and very often opting for easy money-making options such as spirit smuggling.

Going by the quantity of liquor being sold in Kerala, majority of the people of the State would have to be considered alcoholics. The problem can be tackled only by creating greater community initiatives.

Similarly, the State would not be able to move even an inch forward without lifting paddy production by at least 50 per cent and putting an end to reclamation of paddy fields and the practice of leaving land fallow, Mr. Achuthanandan said.

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