Renowned economist Prabhat Patnaik on Monday suggested that extending land reforms to the plantation sector may be part of a strategy to take Kerala’s development model into the future.
Prof. Patnaik, who is Professor Emeritus at Jawaharlal Nehru University, was speaking at a seminar on ‘Financing Development for People’ organized by the State Planning Board as part of the three-day ‘Vision 2031: International Conference on Development and Democracy’.
In Kerala, vast tracts of land lie unused, which past kings gave to plantation owners on long-term leases. It is now important for the state to translate the land reforms the government has introduced into the plantation sector, he said. Prof. Patnaik, who is a former vice-chairman of the State Planning Board, further suggested expanding the scope and breadth of education so that people are equipped to defeat “fascism and neo-fascism, which currently pose the greatest danger to the country”.
Prof. Patnaik emphasized the need to promote an alternative development model of Kerala before the country. The fight between two diametrically opposed development paradigms — the welfare-oriented model followed by Kerala and the growth-oriented model reflected in the central government’s policies — is likely to intensify in the coming days, he said.
“Now you get a situation where the center with the centralization of resources would try to crowd out the alternative model that Kerala, for example, represents,” he said.
Enumerating the challenges before Kerala as it looks to 2031, Finance Minister KN Balagopal said the state will have to look at generating more income and employment opportunities and addressing the challenges posed by an aging population.
Speakers included former Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac; CP Chandrasekhar, Research Fellow, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts; Director of the Center for Development Studies C. Veeramani; National Institute of Public Finance and Policy Director R. Kavitha Rao; Kerala State Statistical Commission Chairman PC Mohanan; and Director Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation KJ Joseph. Additional Principal Secretary (Finance) KR Jyothilal moderated the session.
Published – 16 Feb 2026 20:52 IST