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Showing posts from May, 2024

Emigration Is (Not) Bad: Rethinking the Debate

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The Ministry of External Affairs, in a question to the Rajya Sabha, gave a response that over 2 lakh Indians gave up their citizenship in 2024. Since 2022, every year, this is the figure of number of Indians giving up Indian citizenship. The past two to three years in India have seen extensive talk about the number of people moving out and relinquishing their citizenship. People also give a very catchy term for that- "Brain Drain", where intelligent and well-qualified citizens are leaving the country for opportunities elsewhere. Then there is the argument of demographic change, where regions are seeing young people leave for green pastures and old people remain with no one to take care of them. All of them are true and valid points, but there is another side of the debate which we often ignore and miss.  The causes of migration can be broadly categorised as push and pull factors. Only if both of them work together, mass migration usually happen. As we have already discussed m...

Kerala Demographic Challenge and the Way Forward

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#opinion Kerala is a state that is often considered one of the best places to live in India. It ranks high on multiple indices of the NITI Aayog and boasts impressive Human Development Indicators such as literacy rate, healthcare, education, and low corruption. This success is attributed to the contributions of visionary leaders, irrespective of political affiliation, as well as public participation in socio-politics, policymakers, subject experts, the erstwhile Travancore Kingdom, and many others. This collective effort has led to what is known as the Kerala Model of Development. The state is among the top ten in terms of both GDP and per capita income. Despite Kerala's significant progress in quality of life and human development parameters, there are other fronts where this success is lacking. Today, Kerala is in the news for negative reasons such as a financial crisis, decreased revenue, rising debt, high unemployment, brain drain, and other challenges. While some issues are ov...

News Capsule for the Month of April 2024

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Following are the top news for the month.   If you wish to follow and get notifications of future articles, you can sign up using the email on the left sidebar.  Article of the month Kerala  'Culture shift' essential for waste management: Kochi Mayor.  A complaint was filed against Rajeev Chandrashekhar for incorrect wealth details.  Modi and Rahul Gandhi held multiple rallies in the state.  Sonia, Kharge and Rahul release 'Nyay Patra' for Lok Sabha Elections 2024kerala story Doordarshan: 'The Kerala Story' screening on Doordarshan: CM Vijayan, opposition parties criticise telecast, UDF to approach EC UDF Kottayam leader Saji Manjakkadadaman left UDF and joined the BJP-led NDA.  The state is undergoing a massive heat wave in many districts.  Kerala's Lok Sabha Candidates amount to 194 in 20 seats.  Thrissur Pooram this year was marked by controversies related to Police control. Fireworks was delayed amidst the difference of opinion betwe...