Kerala continues to be known for a variety of reasons, good bad and worst. Initially, it boasted to be the first state in the country to have a democratically elected Communist Party of India government. Later it evolved as the most literate state of the nation, sending most migrants to the Gulf region and elsewhere across the globe. It also has the unique distinction of contributing most of the nursing staff and Christian missionary clergy to the world. Looking back, they all appear to be good old memoirs to reminiscence. Over a period of time, it has become infamous for stalling growth in the name of trade unionism by not allowing any mass-employing companies to come up. Not only that, these days it is dubiously known for all the wrong reasons like alcoholism, drugs, political killings, a terror hub for recruitment to ISIS and whatnot.
More than a dozen Gold, Jewellery and Diamond outlets: Maybe, for having the highest percentage of literate individuals the tiny coastal state is also overloaded with problems typical of its own. The branded Gold, Jewellery and Diamond outlets numbering more than a dozen and employing tens of thousands of Malayali-speaking populace are spread across the world but on a minuscule level in the host state. Pilgrimage centres, Ecotourism and Ayurveda health care retreats are other major sectors providing potential employment to the locals. However, all the gains from different revenue sources don't make much sense as most of the earnings are drained out for the ever-increasing craving for the booze.
Terror's Own Country: Veteran journalist VR Jayaraj in his Op-Ed column published in The Pioneer on 18 April 2010 writes: "Islamist terror in Kerala has connections with several former Naxalites who are now in the business of rights protection and promotion. Moreover, the fact that more than 75 per cent of all the terror accused and suspects in the country are from the state is enough to earn Kerala the terror hub tag...
...Prominent spot on the terror map: In October 2008, four jihadis from Kerala were killed by security forces in the Kupwara sector, Kashmir when they were trying to cross over to Pakistan for advanced terror training. The biggest of the shocks with regard to the jihadi operation in Kerala was the revelation that Tahawwur Hussain Rana had held an extensive tour of Kochi prior to 26/11 and that he had got local help for this. All these events gave Kerala a prominent -- if not the central -- spot on the jihadi terror map of India".
Alcohol looks like a never-ending menace: VR Jayaraj, former Bureau Chief, Kerala for The Pioneer, also laments-"The situation of alcohol consumption in Kerala looks like a never-ending menace. All boys aged 18+ are in the habit and the tendency has evolved into a social evil. There are no attempts worth mentioning from the state government to tackle the problem which has grown multifold and the pathetic plight is that becoming drunk has become common with all castes, communities and religions. The Oommen Chandy-led UDF government from 2011-2016 made a sincere attempt to put curbs on the practice of drinking regularly under some pretext or the other".
UDF made a sincere attempt: As per available statistics, Kerala is India's top liquor consumer, logging 8.3 litres per capita of alcohol in an average year (not counting the huge flow of the heady local palm toddy). That puts it ahead of second-placed Punjab, which is estimated to be down about 7.9 litres per head a year. This move would dent the state coffers as the state-monopolized liquor retailing accounts for about one-third of Kerala's annual revenue toting up to Rs 8,000 crores. Although Oommen Chandy was for a total prohibition in a phased manner, his fond dream was never realized due to internal squabbles within the faction-ridden Congress party and the pro-liquor lobbies within the ruling combine".
Freeing the state from liquor by 2023 remained a dream: Despite the UDF Chief Minister Oommen Chandy being committed to freeing the state from liquor by 2023, it remained a distant dream and now it looks like it will never be accomplished. Then, the bottleneck was the reopening of 418 sub-standard liquor bars that a stinging Supreme Court observation had made the government shut by force on April 1. These bars, incidentally, had been regularised in 2007 and 2011 when the Left Democratic Front (LDF) was in power.
A total prohibition in the state: He had even declared that "the government was committed to total prohibition in the state in phases and would do away with not just those 418 bars, but the remaining 294 more still functioning, as well. Only the 20-odd five-star hotels in the state will henceforth have bar licenses and the state liquor vending monopoly, the Kerala State Beverages Corporation, will prune itself at the rate of 10 per cent from next year, to vanish in 10 years, even though the Corporation had been contributing Rs 7,600 crore annually. The government, Chandy, maintained, will free the state of liquor by October 2, 2023".
Filthy people revenue resources to the exchequer: Veteran journalist VR Jayaraj gives a close picture of the prevailing situation on the ground-"The daily wages in the state are high compared to the neighbouring states and range from a minimum of Rs 750 to Rs 1,000/- and this amount is a handsome amount to the local labourers. This luxury of wages tends them to spend more than half of their earnings on alcohol. In reality, these humble workers are true contributors to the state exchequer. But most of the Babus term them as filthy people, which is a paradoxical predicament". He is equally unsure of the daily habits of Malayalese ever coming down soon.
-Manohar Yadavatti
More than a dozen Gold, Jewellery and Diamond outlets: Maybe, for having the highest percentage of literate individuals the tiny coastal state is also overloaded with problems typical of its own. The branded Gold, Jewellery and Diamond outlets numbering more than a dozen and employing tens of thousands of Malayali-speaking populace are spread across the world but on a minuscule level in the host state. Pilgrimage centres, Ecotourism and Ayurveda health care retreats are other major sectors providing potential employment to the locals. However, all the gains from different revenue sources don't make much sense as most of the earnings are drained out for the ever-increasing craving for the booze.
Terror's Own Country: Veteran journalist VR Jayaraj in his Op-Ed column published in The Pioneer on 18 April 2010 writes: "Islamist terror in Kerala has connections with several former Naxalites who are now in the business of rights protection and promotion. Moreover, the fact that more than 75 per cent of all the terror accused and suspects in the country are from the state is enough to earn Kerala the terror hub tag...
...Prominent spot on the terror map: In October 2008, four jihadis from Kerala were killed by security forces in the Kupwara sector, Kashmir when they were trying to cross over to Pakistan for advanced terror training. The biggest of the shocks with regard to the jihadi operation in Kerala was the revelation that Tahawwur Hussain Rana had held an extensive tour of Kochi prior to 26/11 and that he had got local help for this. All these events gave Kerala a prominent -- if not the central -- spot on the jihadi terror map of India".
Alcohol looks like a never-ending menace: VR Jayaraj, former Bureau Chief, Kerala for The Pioneer, also laments-"The situation of alcohol consumption in Kerala looks like a never-ending menace. All boys aged 18+ are in the habit and the tendency has evolved into a social evil. There are no attempts worth mentioning from the state government to tackle the problem which has grown multifold and the pathetic plight is that becoming drunk has become common with all castes, communities and religions. The Oommen Chandy-led UDF government from 2011-2016 made a sincere attempt to put curbs on the practice of drinking regularly under some pretext or the other".
UDF made a sincere attempt: As per available statistics, Kerala is India's top liquor consumer, logging 8.3 litres per capita of alcohol in an average year (not counting the huge flow of the heady local palm toddy). That puts it ahead of second-placed Punjab, which is estimated to be down about 7.9 litres per head a year. This move would dent the state coffers as the state-monopolized liquor retailing accounts for about one-third of Kerala's annual revenue toting up to Rs 8,000 crores. Although Oommen Chandy was for a total prohibition in a phased manner, his fond dream was never realized due to internal squabbles within the faction-ridden Congress party and the pro-liquor lobbies within the ruling combine".
Freeing the state from liquor by 2023 remained a dream: Despite the UDF Chief Minister Oommen Chandy being committed to freeing the state from liquor by 2023, it remained a distant dream and now it looks like it will never be accomplished. Then, the bottleneck was the reopening of 418 sub-standard liquor bars that a stinging Supreme Court observation had made the government shut by force on April 1. These bars, incidentally, had been regularised in 2007 and 2011 when the Left Democratic Front (LDF) was in power.
A total prohibition in the state: He had even declared that "the government was committed to total prohibition in the state in phases and would do away with not just those 418 bars, but the remaining 294 more still functioning, as well. Only the 20-odd five-star hotels in the state will henceforth have bar licenses and the state liquor vending monopoly, the Kerala State Beverages Corporation, will prune itself at the rate of 10 per cent from next year, to vanish in 10 years, even though the Corporation had been contributing Rs 7,600 crore annually. The government, Chandy, maintained, will free the state of liquor by October 2, 2023".
Filthy people revenue resources to the exchequer: Veteran journalist VR Jayaraj gives a close picture of the prevailing situation on the ground-"The daily wages in the state are high compared to the neighbouring states and range from a minimum of Rs 750 to Rs 1,000/- and this amount is a handsome amount to the local labourers. This luxury of wages tends them to spend more than half of their earnings on alcohol. In reality, these humble workers are true contributors to the state exchequer. But most of the Babus term them as filthy people, which is a paradoxical predicament". He is equally unsure of the daily habits of Malayalese ever coming down soon.
-Manohar Yadavatti
Good information
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