Economy of Kerala: A Development Experience

Kerala is a small state with a land area of 38,863 sq. km. and a population of 33.4 million situated in the southwestern part of India. Kerala has achieved international level of human development as a result of decades of assiduous adherence to a development credo based on social justice, economic equity and people-centered public policy. The pattern of development with strong government intervention in the social sector has been unique and has drawn considerable attention. Its basic characteristic is the paradox of high social development such as life expectancy, birth rate, infant mortality rate, sex ratio and literacy level especially of the female population, with poor economic growth.It is not only high in comparison with other states and developing economies but also in relation to some of the developed countries. The progress has been achieved by creating social opportunities in education, health and other areas. In this book an attempt has been made to examine various sectors of the economy of Kerala .