- Kerala is the only place in the world to be declared ‘baby-friendly’ by the WHO and the UNICEF.
- The indicators of material well-being in Kerala are far closer to that of the US than those of the rest of India and the developing world.
- Kerala is ranked 1st among Indian states in the Human Development Index [India is ranked 126th overall].
- Kerala's official literacy rate above 96 per cent.
- In Kerala the birth rate is 40 per cent below that of the national average and almost 60 per cent below the rate for poor countries in general.
The article briefs about how kerala has achieved such high social standards, standards that are at par with developed countries with relatively less industrial development. Most of us know that the industrial development which is the wealth of our states is far less in kerala compared to many other indian states. The achievement is mainly due to the policies followed by the past governments in the state. There are some side effects of these policies too. Most of us know that the greatest challenge for our country is education. It would be most desirable for other states to achieve what kerala has achieved in the past. What we need to do is closely scrutinize the model and try to replicate in other states without any side effects on industrial growth. I believe that this will accelerate the development of our country. With the rest of the states having replicated the states achievements, we might probably be closer to the vision "India 2020" by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam our former president. So people where do you think we need to start?
