Kerala

Insights from Social Contexts

Challenges to Kerala’s Democracy: A Conversation with TM Thomas Isaac (Part II)

  • May 5, 2022

When demonetisation took place, I called it ‘madness’. Neoliberalism means you don’t tamper with the money and here is somebody doing away with the money. Nobody was willing to condemn it. See, there is a whole lot of PR work and manipulation. Money is not a simple thing. Whichever party in India is in power, has money. All the money is cornered by them. They have champion investors who have an interest in this regime and are continuing to fund it.
Insights from Social Contexts

Challenges to Kerala’s Democracy: A Conversation with TM Thomas Isaac (Part I)

  • April 22, 2022

In a democracy, there will be and there should be alternatives before the people. But I don’t agree with the fact that competitive politics demands that the ruling party keeps on changing every five years. It has proven to be detrimental to people’s interests. If the party in power is able to perform well based on the expectations of the people, it should be rewarded, otherwise, there is no incentive for it to function.
Notes on Strategy

The Road so Far: Forest Rights Act and Constitutionality

  • March 12, 2021

It is argued that the Act is a colourable piece of legislation that is outside the legislative competence of the Parliament as it falls under the State List, and therefore, ultra vires the Constitution. The petitioners contend that the forest lands referred to in the Act are more closely associated with the item ‘Land’ instead of ‘Forests’ because it deals with the conversion of forest lands into revenue lands and pertains to rights accrued in and over such land.
Insights from Social Contexts

Implementation of Forest Rights Act: Observations from Kerala’s Attappadi Block

  • January 29, 2021

The Forest Rights Committees’ formation in most villages started only six years after the enactment of the FRA. Even after eight years of the formation of FRCs, Individual Forest Rights alone have been granted, that too only in a few villages. In many villages, the first FRC meeting was conducted more than ten years after the enactment.

Insights from Social Contexts

Implementation of Forest Rights Act: Lessons from Vazhachal Division of Kerala

  • January 19, 2021

Three things clearly emerged as instrumental in making Vazhachal a pioneer in FRA implementation in the state, especially in vesting the provisions under CFR: a) A mission mode of implementation with clear responsibilities; b) Committed, active and informed NGOs and; c) Proactive leadership from the community.

Insights from Social Contexts

Implementation of Forest Rights Act: Observations from Wayanad District of Kerala

  • January 6, 2021

In the early 2000s, Wayanad saw land struggles gathering momentum, demanding rights of tribals to forest lands. Many landless tribals encroached forest lands and raised hutments. As per an agreement to put an end to the struggle, a decision to vest land to tribals was taken. But its implementation was tardy.
Response to COVID-19

Reintegration & Rehabilitation Policies for Emigrants in Kerala: Strategies for a Post-COVID World

  • November 27, 2020

Given the importance of international migration to Kerala’s economy, old and new migration corridors need to be kept open for those who are willing to re-migrate in the future. A larger migration framework, which clearly outlines India’s approach to migration, is the need of the hour.
Notes on Strategy

Governance Mechanisms in the Forest Rights Act 2006: A Review

  • October 13, 2020

The process of implementation of the FR Act in Kerala has many serious lapses, which could actually defeat the purpose of the original Act. One fundamental problem is the abysmal level of awareness about the Act, rights and processes among the beneficiaries and the officials. Another problem is the burden of workload, as the state nodal agency is invested with the implementation of several other welfare schemes for the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste communities.
Notes on Strategy

Complete and Effective Implementation of FRA in Kerala: Strategies and Approaches

  • September 24, 2020

The cultural-ecological know-how of the adivasis is of obvious value in this era of the pandemic, economic slowdown and climate change. This realisation might accelerate and support effective FRA implementation by generating necessary momentum among departments and development agencies and within the constituency of the adivasis themselves.
Insights from Social Contexts

Development and Environment Linkages: Lessons from Kerala

  • September 16, 2020

There is a need for a set of actions to achieve an environmentally sustainable and welfare-enhancing future for the people of Kerala. These require the use of technological solutions; institutional changes; public investments to make the future environmentally benign, and; enabling policies at the state level.
Insights from Social Contexts

Conservation of Agrobiodiversity: Lessons from Kerala

  • August 28, 2020

This article assesses the effectiveness of the institutions (laws), programs, and organisations to conserve agrobiodiversity in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the most biodiverse states in the country. The people in the state grow 142 crop plants belonging to 104 genera and 43 families. Though there are studies on the agrobiodiversity of Kerala, the current policy/institutional situation in this regard is yet to be analysed.
Response to COVID-19

COVID-19 and Lockdown – The Divergent Trajectory of Inter-state Migrants in Kerala

  • June 16, 2020

Recognising the role of inter-state migrants in sustaining the economic activities in the state, the State showed foresight in its efforts. While the State has not accorded the inter-state migrants the status of citizens, it duly planned for provisioning of their welfare. These efforts will certainly bring hope among the beleaguered inter-state migrants and serve as an exemplar for other states regarding the management of the human costs of the pandemic and the lockdown imposed on the citizenry.
Response to COVID-19

Beyond the Hype: Understanding how Kerala is Handling COVID-19

  • May 11, 2020

Kerala government became alert and pro-active to meet the COVID-19 emergency before most other Indian states. The experience of handling the Nipah virus last year may have sounded an alarm to the administration. So, when the infection started spreading in Wuhan (China), Kerala could foresee the arrival of the virus into the state.
Notes on Strategy

Empowering Tribal People, Deepening Democracy

  • April 27, 2020

The Scheduled Tribes constitute nearly 1.45 percent of Kerala’s population. However, their human development indicators are significantly lower than those of the mainstream population. Their female literacy rate is nearly 36 percent lower than that of the state as a whole. Poverty among them is nearly 2.5 times higher than that of the rural population. This reflects their inadequate access to resources considering their spatial settlements in forests, their socio-cultural specificities, and historical deprivation.

Notes on Strategy

Governance of Post-Disaster Kerala: Some Crucial Aspects

  • August 6, 2019

The recent floods have highlighted the social, economic & environmental vulnerability of man-made structures and their management in Kerala. A strategy for development that would make the state resilient in the face of major natural disasters.
Development Lessons from Practice

The Emerging Role of a Governmental Agency in Promoting Renewable Energy: Lessons for ANERT, Kerala

  • January 22, 2019

There will be a greater demand for and willingness to use alternative sources of power in Kerala in the future. How should ANERT transition to meet these?

Personal Reflections on Practice

Memories of a Visionary and a Cooperative

  • March 28, 2018

Prof John Kurien who started his career as a development practitioner, shares an interesting perspective which offers important lessons for other development practitioners.

Practice Connect at Azim Premji University                                                                                                                                     CC-BY-NC-SA

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