States Catching Up With Kerala

States Catching Up With Kerala

Syllabus Areas:

GS II - Governance

For decades, Kerala has dominated India’s development discourse. Its achievements in health, education, and social welfare have often been treated as an unmatched benchmark. Yet, a quiet but remarkable shift is underway. Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu—three states with vastly different geographies, histories, and political cultures—have now emerged as strong contenders, matching Kerala on key human development indicators and even surpassing it in some areas.

What binds these states together is not geography or culture, but a long and consistent history of investing in people—through land reforms, social justice, decentralized welfare, and trustworthy public health systems.

Life Expectancy: A Marker of Overall Well-Being

One of the strongest signals of improved living standards is life expectancy at birth, and these states have shown extraordinary progress over the last five decades.

• Himachal Pradesh:
  6 years (1970–75) → 74.4 years (2019–23)
• Jammu & Kashmir:
  56 years → 4 years
• Tamil Nadu:
  6 years → 73.4 years

These numbers reflect not just medical progress, but improvements in nutrition, sanitation, education, and social equity.

Early Land Reforms: The Power of Redistribution

Jammu & Kashmir: A Pioneer in Land Reform

J&K was the first state in India to implement systematic land redistribution in 1948. The move broke the power of big landlords, transferring land to cultivators and tenants on an unprecedented scale. Article 370 at the time shielded land rights from external interference, enabling transformative reform.

Economist Jean Drèze argues that these reforms played a decisive role in:

• Reducing rural poverty
• Creating a more egalitarian agrarian economy
• Strengthening long-term social development

Himachal Pradesh: Ending the Big Estate System

Himachal abolished big landed estates in 1953, ensuring that cultivators became owners. The results are striking:

• 71% of households own agricultural land, one of the highest in India
• Landlessness—strongly correlated with poverty—is very low

These structural advantages have translated into low levels of deprivation. As per NITI Aayog’s multidimensional poverty index:

• Both J&K and Himachal have fewer than 5% of their population living in multidimensional poverty

This is despite their lower urbanisation levels compared to other states.

Tamil Nadu: Social Welfare as an Engine of Transformation

While Tamil Nadu did not have the same agrarian starting point, it charted a completely different route—social welfare as state policy, not charity.

Key Pillars of Tamil Nadu’s Welfare Success

1. Universalisation of the Midday Meal Scheme
    Boosted school attendance, reduced malnutrition, and enhanced learning outcomes.
2. Expansive Reservation Policies (up to 69%)
    Improved access to education and public employment for historically oppressed communities.
3. A Universal and Efficient Public Distribution System (PDS)
    Ensured food security even for the urban poor.
4. Strong Public Health System
    Tamil Nadu retained a separate public health department (unlike most other states), strengthening preventive healthcare.
   • Lady health workers were placed in every village from the 1970s
   • Maternal and child health services became the backbone of rural healthcare
5. Population Stabilisation
    Through consistent outreach, Tamil Nadu ensured:
   • TFR: 4 (1971) → 2.1 (2000) → 3 today
   • IMR: 12
   • MMR: 35
     All among the lowest in India.
6. Drug Procurement Corporation Model
    Pooled procurement eliminated shortages and improved quality of medicines, building trust in the public health system. Many states now follow this model.

Himachal Pradesh: Smart Governance and Human-Centric Development

Himachal is a standout example of how small states with difficult terrain can achieve strong social indicators by prioritising human development.

Key Achievements

• 100% electrification by the 1980s
• Literacy: 7% (1947) → 99% today, including high female literacy
• Strong networks of anganwadi centres, schools, PHCs, and ASHA workers
• Effective use of central grants to build rural infrastructure

However, recent fiscal restructuring has reduced public employment, particularly in essential sectors like electricity and public services. This contraction has begun to affect service delivery—showing how sensitive welfare outcomes are to workforce strength.

Trust in Public Health Systems: A Crucial Advantage

A notable strength in J&K, Himachal, and Tamil Nadu is the high public trust in government health facilities.

• District hospitals, medical colleges, and PHCs are the first point of access for most citizens.
• Even for tertiary care, people prefer PGI Chandigarh or state-run medical colleges rather than expensive private hospitals.

Health Expenditure Pattern (2021–22)

• J&K: 71% govt share (lowest out-of-pocket spending in India)
• Himachal:5% govt share
• Tamil Nadu:7% govt share
• India average: 48%

Low out-of-pocket expenditure is a strong indicator of accessible and affordable health systems.

Beyond Healthcare: Strengthening Social Determinants of Development

The success of these states is rooted in something deeper: addressing the social determinants of health over more than five decades.

These include:

• Clean drinking water
• Housing
• Sanitation
• Nutrition
• Land ownership
• Primary healthcare
• Public infrastructure
• Education and literacy
• Gender equity

This long-term consistency—not sudden schemes—created the social foundations for high life expectancy, low fertility, and low poverty.

Lessons for India

The trajectories of J&K, Himachal, and Tamil Nadu offer important lessons:

1. Equity-focused reforms have long-term payoffs
    Land reforms and affirmative action reshape economic opportunities across generations.
2. Welfare spending is not a burden
    When designed well, it becomes a structural investment in human capital.
3. Public trust is built through reliable, high-quality services
    Whether in healthcare, education, or PDS.
4. Decentralised approaches work best
    Each of these states succeeded by tailoring policies to their cultural and economic realities—not by copying a central model.
5. State capacity matters
    Trained public workers, strong institutions, and consistent funding are the backbone of development.

Conclusion

The rise of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu is not accidental—it is the result of decades of patient, people-centred policies that prioritised equity, health, and social welfare. Their journeys demonstrate a powerful truth:
Long-term development is built not by grand announcements but by steady, well-designed investments in people’s lives.

As more states revisit their developmental strategies, these three offer compelling blueprints for inclusive and sustainable progress.

Prelims Questions: