‘Rebuild Kerala’ drive marks new epoch
dubai — The epoch-making New Kerala initiative undertaken by the state government in the aftermath of the devastating floods, is getting overwhelming support from nonresident Indians and other international organisations, the state’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
In an exclusive interview with
Khaleej Times on the eve of his fourday visit to the UAE, the veteran leader praised the exemplary support and solidarity the state received from overseas Keralites, especially from the Gulf, and said he expects to get not only their financial participation but also their expertise and ideas for the monumental task of creating a brand new Kerala at a cost estimated to run into several billions of dollars.
He said the unprecedented disaster has taught that if Keralites stand united, they can overcome any crisis. “The disaster had demonstrated the resilience our people and their commendable ability in coming together in times of crises. Such massive scale of coordinated rescue and relief efforts will remain a role model in disaster management for the country and the world.”
The CPM leader known for his stern but pragmatic leadership acumen and hardcore leftist leanings, said crowd-funding is top in the list of several options his government is examining to raise funds for rebuilding the infrastructure and rehabilitating the victims. “The magnitude of the catastrophe is currently being assessed with the help of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank,” he said.
In his typical candid and sober style, the Kerala chief also dwelt at length in on some of the raging controversies, including the recent Supreme Court verdict on permitting women of all ages to Sabarimala temple, and the government’s decision to cancel the brewery licences in the wake of protests.
The full text of the interview is as follows:
What are the social, political and ecological lessons Kerala learnt from the recent devastating floods?
Among the several lessons one could learn from the catastrophic floods, I believe the first and foremost is the amazing power of resilience our people and their commendable ability in coming together in times of crises. The unprecedented disaster has taught us that if we stand united, we can overcome any crisis. During the deluge, the victims as well as the rescue operators demonstrated their exceptional fortitude and spirit of unity irrespective of their religion, caste, politics and of course, their social or financial status. I believe such a massive scale of coordinated rescue and relief efforts will remain a role model in disaster management for the country and the world.
The floods also have given us an opportunity to have a relook at our infrastructure and key economic sectors. Currently, we are doing an extensive evaluation of the scenario to examine how best and fast we could recover and rebuild. We will rely on those findings based on indepth analyses and assessments. Agencies of international repute have been roped in to submit their study reports. We will look into all proposals and implement those which are viable and effective in ensuring the rebuilding of the state. As you are aware, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have jointly carried out a rapid assessment and submitted a report.
The state government had made all possible efforts to ensure that people stay united above their political affiliations. We want to take everyone along with the government machinery to take up the challenge as our mission is for the larger interest of the state. We want to foster the politics of unity in thought and action to tackle the crisis.
The New Kerala initiative is being undertaken after taking all ecological factors into consideration. We have already engaged experts to study the environmental impact and how to ward off such largescale misery in future.
Kerala is embarking on a drive to mobilise resources from NRIs. How much are you hoping to raise and what would be the vehicle of investment?
The love, affection and compassion being showered by NRIs and Malayalee diaspora on Kerala are phenomenal and we value their support very much. During the rescue and relief operations, Malayalees from across the world, along with other NRIs, had been passionately participating by sending all essential materials, including medicines, sanitary items, clothes as well as money to support the mission. We have received around Rs18 billion in the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) by way of donations from within the state and outside. I must say non-resident Keralites have contributed substantially to the CMDRF. I expect their continued support and participation for the epoch-making New Kerala drive not only through financial contribution but also by sharing their vast expertise, ideas and know-how.
The government has decided to take the crowd funding as part of its efforts for resource mobilisation to rebuild the state. Consultancy firm KPMG has drawn up a plan for crowd funding. The Web-based portal for crowd funding is ready and the government will place specific facts on its requirements and proposals for rebuilding so that everyone can contribute or sponsor, big or small, towards the rebuilding. If an organisation or an agency wants to sponsor the construction of, say 100 houses
or support certain affected families by providing them with a livelihood and basic infrastructure, they can associate through the portal. We will also be engaging special officers for coordinating the whole process.
Dr Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, has suggested that like Narendra Modi did in 2001 as Gujarat chief minister after the Bhuj earthquake, Kerala should convene an international conference on rebuilding, instead of tapping NRIs. Modi was able to raise $1.7 billion from the conference to rebuild Bhuj. What’s your take on this?
As you are aware, the disaster was unprecedented in the history of Kerala. We have to assess the extent of actual loss and its impact on our economy. The World Bank-ADB team assessed a loss of Rs250 billion for certain major sectors. Their initial assessment was mainly based on damage to infrastructure facilities. The loss on sectors such as agriculture and trading were not fully assessed by the team. We feel that the real loss would be much higher than what they had assessed. Hence, we have sought special grant and package from the Central Government and we expect a positive decision on our genuine demand.
Since we can’t do the rebuilding with central aid alone, we are mobilising funds from other sources. We have also decided to borrow from international agencies and national financial agencies, including banks. Unlike the situation of 2001, there are several restrictions now on mobilising funds. Nevertheless, no stone would be kept unturned in our efforts. You have revised some of the government’s decisions recently, including the permission given for brewery licences. Do you agree such hasty decisions are hurting the LDF government’s
image? However, by cancelling the approvals, you could disarm the opposition and ward off a major political storm while projecting the image of a government with pragmatic flexibility in one stroke. Do you agree?
Since the government’s primary focus now is on the rebuilding of the state, we are keen to avoid all controversies and diversions that can possibly hinder our mission. We do not hesitate to revisit a decision if it helps us to focus totally on the massive challenge of building a new Kerala. The opposition has been crying foul over a non-issue as the sanction to issue licences to four companies was given only after strictly observing all procedures. However, it does not mean that in future we will not issue new licences. Our policy on such matters remains intact.
What are your government’s major achievements so far that you would like to cash in on in the next elections?
I believe our determined efforts on building world-class infrastructure have yielded tangible results. The Kannur International Airport will open on December 9. We hope that the new airport will facilitate in bringing in more industrial investments to Kannur and Kasargode districts while giving an impetus to the tourism sector not only in those two districts but also to Wayanad and Coorg in Karnataka state.
The widening of National Highways has also been given top priority in our infrastructure development planning. In fact, the NH widening project had been like a lost dream as people thought that such projects involving huge and costly land acquisition would not be possible in Kerala. However, we could prove the sceptics wrong.
GAIL’s (Gas Authority of India Limited) natural gas pipeline project (Kochi-Mangalore) is also under way and nearing completion.
Work on hill highway and coastal highway projects are also progressing well. Another major infrastructure project is the Kovalam-Bakel national waterways. We have formed a separate company, a joint venture with CIAL (Cochin International Airport Limited), to carry out the waterways project in a time-bound manner. The first phase of Vizhinjam International Container Terminal also will be completed in 2019.
We constituted four missions namely LIFE, Hiritha Keralam, Aardram and Public Education in order to achieve development with social commitment. The aim of the LIFE Mission is to provide houses for all homeless families in the state. Thousands of families do not have a house or even land to construct one. The government would provide apartment to each of them. What is important is that we are implementing all the four projects with support and involvement of people and local self-governments. Since coming to power in 2016, the ruling front has been steadily winning the confidence and support of a larger segment of non-traditional voters. The people of Kerala have reasons to believe that they have now a pro-active government that cares for them. They also feel that the vision and welfare focused mission of this government would help in transforming the state and improving their lives. There is indeed a widespread perception that LDF is the only effective force that can checkmate communalism in all forms.
The CPM party conference has ruled out any alliance with the Indian National Congress for the next parliament elections. At the same time, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has invited you to the mega anti-BJP rally on January 19. Is there a dilemma? Will you be attending?
The CPM has taken a considered view on the question of its relations with the Congress. There is no ambiguity in our electoral strategy. We will certainly see that left parties and all other secular forces will be able to stand united to defeat communal forces. At the same time we cannot turn a blind eye to the vacillation and compromises the Congress have often taken in dealing with communal forces.
The government has taken a bold stand in the case of Sabarimala by falling in line with Supreme Court decision of allowing women of all ages entry. How are you going to convince a conservative society that the government is right and their belief and faith are wrong?
It is very unfortunate that some parties are trying to trigger communal divisions and incite strife at a time when Kerala needs utmost unity. As I said earlier, the people of Kerala faced the deluge with an exceptional show of unity and the strength of our resilience is on the back of that solidarity. However, certain political parties are conspiring to wreck that unity by blowing the Sabarimala issue out of proportion. It is the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court that had permitted women of all ages to go to Sabarimala. Since it is a verdict from the highest court of justice, the government has no other option but to implement it. A few organisations and individuals opposing the women entry to the temple have filed review petitions before the Supreme Court. In case the apex court takes a different view or amends the existing verdict in future, we are bound to abide that also. No government, not even the Central government, can refuse to implement the court ruling.
The Supreme Court took the final decision after hearing all the concerned parties. During the court proceedings, the state government had filed an affidavit praying the court to constitute a commission comprising Hindu religious scholars — who have the basic expertise on the traditions and rituals — as well as social reformers to look into the issue. We submitted that the court could take a decision acceptable to all parties on the basis of the commission’s recommendation. However, the Supreme Court did not accept our views. Since a final verdict has come out, it is the duty of the state to implement it. The verdict doesn’t mean that women are forced to go to Sabarimala. It is up to the devotees to go there or not to go. I believe people of Kerala would see through the evil designs of those who are trying to spark unrest and divisions.
In fact, the national leadership of the Congress has not only welcomed the verdict but also described it as historic. However, the Congress leadership in the state took a different stance and joined with the BJP. It is obvious that the Congress is now trying to make political gains by polarising the society on communal lines. It will prove to be disastrous for the Congress party eventually.
The state has received the much-awaited Reserve Bank of India nod for Kerala Bank. How fast do you expect to launch the dream project? How will the people of Kerala benefit from such a bank?
The RBI has given the go-ahead for the Kerala Cooperative Bank in principle. The RBI has suggested a few procedures and we are working on it. All the 14 district cooperative banks will be merged with the State Cooperative Bank as part of the project. I am sure that the proposed Kerala Cooperative Bank would become a partner in progress in Kerala’s economic growth by providing key financial support for its developmental projects.