In their new book – ‘India's Tryst with Destiny: Debunking
Myths that Undermine Progress and Addressing New Challenges’, two renowned
professors of Indian origin in Columbia university, Jagdish
Bhagwati and Arvind
Panagariya, hails, Gujarat model of development over Kerala models on various grounds.
They have picked these two states as "Kerala
Model" represents redistribution and state driven development where-as
"Gujarat Model” represents private-entrepreneurship driven development.
Books says that the kerala has good health and education
indicators post independence, as Kerala has access most of it’s education and
health through private sector. As the book review in Economic times mentions……
“In health, Kerala's per-capita private expenditures are nearly eight times its
per capita public expenditures. In education, excluding two or three tiny
northeastern states, at 53%, rural Kerala has by far the highest proportion of
students between ages 7 and 16 in private schools. The nearest rival, rural
Haryana, has 40% of these students in private schools.”
Contrary to the believe, the book says that Kerala has
achieved low levels of poverty by virtue of growth (read Gujarat model) and not
redistribution. In health, Kerala's per-capita private expenditures are nearly
eight times its per capita public expenditures. Kerala has been a rapidly
growing state in the post-Independence era, which is the reason it ranks fourth
among the larger states, according to per-capita gross state domestic product
and first according to per-capita expenditure.
Now all the states and the whole of country need to follow
the path of growth lead reforms, entrepreneurship lead reforms and Gujarat is
showing us the way…
