Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Thomas Isaac’s SOS comes barely three months after the ruling benches in the Kerala Assembly had thumped desks to welcome the state economic review report. Excerpts:
• Kerala economy notched an impressive 9.2 per cent growth in 2004-05, buoyed largely by a 13.8 per cent growth in the services sector – the primary and secondary sectors had logged only 2.5 per cent and 1.3 per cent.
• State income grew by 11.7 per cent, and per capita income had gone up to Rs 27,048 from the Rs 24,942 in the previous year.
• Industrial growth rate, which was negative in 2002-2003, had increased to 7.14 per cent in 2003-04, before sliding to 5.77 per cent in 2004-2005.
• The report had said the IT sector too had made substantial progress in terms of investments, infrastructure and employment generation.
• Foreign tourist arrivals had increased by 17.28 per cent and more than one out of every 10 tourists coming to India were in Kerala.
• Kerala recorded 28.82 per cent growth in forex remittances last year.
On the flip side, 37.56 lakh people still hoped to find a job through Employment Exchanges, and 1.76 professionals and technically qualified persons were jobless in the state, the report said.
