Kerala's Economy

When a prominent leader of Kerala's Communists once was asked how he felt about industrialization his response was very frank : he was keen only for labor-intensive production. 
"It was good luck that the Communists were genuine Gandhian. That is, they were genuinely interested in the poorest people," states an American Academic. Kerala features a quality of life matching Western Standards in literacy, life expectancy and other benchmarks. An extraordinary achievement for an economy clearly dominated by agriculture. The Co-operative movement played a significant role in financing, marketing products and housing. Land Reform achieved that 90% of people live on their own land. 

But things become more difficult in The Global World. Remittances from the more than 2 million Keralites working abroad in recent years have been the most important stimulant for the economy. Investing their savings they will help to build a base for the future. 

Economic Highlights !

There are tremendous opportunities in Kerala's economy - barely touched by the global business community. The state's infrastructure may be less than ideal but is reasonably well developed. So the route to future is wide open !

Kerala has a long tradition providing its people with good education. A century ago some of the Grand-Grand-fathers of today's generations got in touch with the ideals of communism. They were successful in confronting caste discrimination and autocratic powers. Organizing themselves they brought land reforms, good governance and distribution of wealth. Public protest to hold public officials accountable is a vital part of Keralan life. Like their forefathers did the right things by emphasizing social values, today's generations discover " The Spirit of Free Enterprise " !