We visited 15 out of 23 districts Andhra Pradesh (AP) in past
one week. After Bihar and West Bengal, AP appeared like a different world altogether.
Bountiful nature exploited judiciously, people forward looking, women
emancipated, agriculture productivity high, farmers and agriculture labors
doing well, education a movement, primary health facilities perhaps best in the
country.
On the negative side, economic disparities are very high. The
difference between top 10% and bottom 10% would probably be the highest in the
country. The society is deeply divided on caste lines, though not so on
religious lines.
The key highlights of the visit are as follows:
(a)
We found Andhra one of the most balanced
economies in the country. Except for a few northern districts, agriculture is
well developed and productivity high. A strong education movement has provided
a strong base for services sector. Industry, especially knowledge based
industry such as IT services, and high risk R&D based industry such as
pharma have flourished due to high risk taking aptitude, large pool of skilled
professionals and supportive administration.
(b)
To our surprise, we found much stronger savings
and investment culture in the state. Our deep interaction with about 400 people
suggest that the State people have much stronger enterprise culture than the
commonly recognized Gujarati and Marwari communities.
(c)
Land, liquor, gold and movies are strong passion
with the people, in that order. However, excessive consumption of liquor has
not damaged the basic fabric of the society as was found to be the case in case
of Haryana
and Punjab.
(d)
Contrary to the trend seen in other primarily
agrarian states like MP, UP, Punjab and Haryana, the investment in agriculture
in the State is high.
(e)
Social infrastructure is well developed, mostly
due to strong community culture and private initiatives. Physical
infrastructure is much better but has suffered badly in past 5-6years due to
political instability.
(f)
The state has a large middle class with strong
saving, investment and consumption tendencies. Presently, investment activities
in the state are at a standstill both in public as well as private sector. The
State is probably one of the better lead indicators of national economic
trends.
(g)
Politically we found the State fast heading towards
complete regionalization, on the lines of Tamilnadu and Uttar Pradesh. Congress
is at risk of losing this State for good. BJP in any case is a marginal force
here.
(h)
US Visa is still a passion with middle classes.
But unlike Punjab, people are mostly seeking good education and professional
opportunities not just immigrating at any cost.
Read our special series Mandate 2014
Thought for the day
“Politicians fascinate because they constitute such a paradox; they are an elite that accomplishes mediocrity for the public good.”
- George Will (1941 - )
Word of the day
Muster (v):
To gather, summon, rouse.
(Source: Dictionary.com)
Shri Nārada Uvāca
Several reports are suggesting that Uttrakhand government had been negligent in acting upon ISRO and IMD warnings. Reports also suggest that the disaster management apparatus of the state was grossly inadequate to manage so many pilgrims.
The mute question is could the government be tried for “Causing multiple deaths by negligence”.
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