The Planning Commission deputy chairman, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, said the state had done extremely well during the last five-year plan. This should augur well for the state that has regularly found things going tough in terms of central allocation on account of its better human development indices, especially with the new plan on the cards.
Dr Ahluwalia’s pat for the state came during a colloquium on ‘Approach to the 12th five-year plan’, organised at the St Teresa’s College here on Tuesday. The deputy chairman’s acknowledgement may also come as a boost for the state as his team is on the mission before compiling the plan from the coming fiscal.
“Kerala can continue to surge in the developmental sector if it exploits human skills and knowledge effectively. A major share of the state’s literate community is working outside which brings little betterment for the state. Kerala has to upscale its infrastructure significantly to keep hold on the community,” he said.
About the 12th Plan, he said that the nation looked forward to implementing development based on comprehensive partnerships.
“The commission aims to concentrate on 20 sectors, including health, education, agriculture, tourism and power. The coming 10 years will also be vital for the country in terms of development,” he said. The Union minister, Mr K.V. Thomas, inaugurated the colloquium. Mr Hibi Eden, MLA, and the St Teresa’s College principal, Sr Teresa, were also present.
Later in the day, Dr Ahluwalia inaugurated the D-Space library at the Sacred Heart College, Thevara, and the second phase of the Kumbalangi-Kumbalam-Chellanam market. He also laid the foundation stone for the Thoppumpady mini stadium.
