VILLAGE FIELDWORK SEGMENT (PRM 2014 2016)
An Exploratory Study of the Village
VILLAGE: KavalamBLOCK PANCHAYAT: VelliyanadTHALUK:
KuttanadDISTRICT: AlappuzhaSTATE: Kerala
HOST ORGANIZATION: Kudumbashree
Submitted by:Akhil G (P35008)Sushanta Kumar Das (P35099)Vinayak
Rajeev (P35105)
In partial fulfilment of the requirements of the VFS of thePost
Graduate Programme in Rural Management
INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT, ANANDJANUARY, 2015
Contents
1. INTRODUCTION91.1 Objective of the study91.2 Scope of the
study91.3 Methodology101.3.1 Primary sources of data
collection101.3.2 Secondary Sources112. INTRODUCTION TO
KAVALAM112.1 Location & Access112.2 Agro-climatic
Conditions122.2.1 Rainfall122.2.2 Temperature132.2.3
Topography132.3 Natural Resources133. VILLAGE SOCIETY133.1
Population133.2 Literacy and Level of Education143.3 Caste and
Religion153.4 Culture153.5 Food164. VILLAGE INFRASTRUCTURE174.1
Transport174.1.1 Roads174.1.2 Railways174.1.3 Waterways174.2
Communication174.2.1 Telecommunication174.2.2 Post Office174.2.3
Internet184.2.4 Mass Media184.3 Electricity184.4 Market194.5
Education194.5.1 Anganwadi194.5.2 School204.5.3 College224.6
Health224.6.1 PHC224.6.2 Sanitation234.6.3 Drinking Water234.6.4
Government Ayurvedic Hospital234.6.5 Homeopathic Dispensary244.6.6
Veterinary Hospital245. VILLAGE INSTITUTIONS245.1 Government
Institutions245.1.1 Krishi Bhavan245.2 Community
Institutions255.2.1 Kudumbashree255.2.2 Kakka Co-operative
Society256. VILLAGE LIVELIHOODS266.1 Asset Base Available To
People266.1.1 Human Asset266.1.2 Natural Asset266.1.3 Financial
Asset266.1.4 Social Assets266.1.5 Personal Assets266.1.6
Organizational Assets276.1.7 Physical Asset276.2 Vulnerability
Context277. VILLAGE ECONOMY287.1 Agriculture297.2 Service
sector317.3 Toddy Shops317.4 Middle East Income317.5 Labour317.6
Money and finance328. VILLAGE POLITY328.1 Gram Panchayat328.2
Politics and Public participation329. THEMATIC INSIGHTS339.1 FPCR -
Impact of Flood & Its Coping Measures339.2 Theme paper - Socio
Economic Impact of Urbanization in Village life3410. REFLECTIONS ON
VFS35
List of Tables Table 1 - Profile of
Kavalam...........................................................................12Table
2 Gender
Ratio...................................................................................14Table
3 Literacy Rate
..................................................................................15Table
4 Electricity Infrastructure
Details......................................................18Table
5 Types of shops and their
frequencies...............................................19Table 6
Government Lower Primary School
details.....................................20 Table 7 Government
Upper Primary School
details......................................21Table 8 Little
Flower Higher Secondary School
Details...............................21 Table 9 Schools outside
Kavalam and their distances
..................................22Table 10 Colleges outside
Kavalam and their distances.................................22Table
11PHC details....23Table 12Area wise distribution of crops.30
List of Figures
Figure 1 Sources of data collection
..............................................................................10Figure
2 Religion wise Population distribution
............................................................13Figure
3 Caste wise population
distribution.................................................................
14Figure 4 Distribution of the source of
Income..............................................................
28Figure 5 Distribution of the livelihood...29
List of Annexures
Annexure 1: Typical daily life schedule of
villagers...............................................................37Annexure
2: Focus Group Discussion
Details.........................................................................38Annexure
3: Household details of five poor
families..............................................................39Annexure
4: Household details of five non poor
families.......................................................40Annexure
5: Services and Opportunities map of
Kavalam......................................................41
Annexure 6: Case study
1.........................................................................................................42Annexure
7: Case study
2.........................................................................................................43Annexure
8: Crops
Calendar....................................................................................................44
Annexure 9: Time Activity
chart.............................................................................................44Annexure
10: RAC-Vinayak Rajeev (35105)..45Annexure 11: RAC-Susantha Kumar
Das (35099)..47Annexure 12: RAC-Akhil G (35008)...48
List of Abbreviations PHC - Primary Health Centre KSRTC - Kerala
State Road Transport Corporation NH - National Highway RAC - Rural
Action Component FGD - Focus Group Discussion FPCR - Faculty
Participant Collaborative Research SC - Schedule Caste IUML -
Indian Union Muslim League LP - Lower Primary UP - Upper Primary
HSS - Higher Secondary School CPI (M) - Communist Party of India
(Marxist) CBSE - Central Board of Secondary Education ASHA -
Accredited Social Health Activist FGD - Focused Group
Discussion
1. INTRODUCTIONKavalam, located in Veliyanad block of Alappuzha
district was the village chosen by IRMA for our fieldwork of PRM
course. Through our stay of 7 weeks, we were asked to experience
the rural life that resides in the village. Kudumbashree a name
known to every household in Kerala, facilitated our stay in the
village for our entire VFS. Through VFS we had an opportunity to
interact with such professional people who worked towards improving
rural life. We reported at the NRO office of Kudumbashree on our
arrival, where we were given a heartfelt welcome followed by a
briefing about the kind of work that Kudumbashree does. It was
quite a learning experience for us to interact with IRMANs who were
working there and hearing about their experience of working in a
rural sector. The head of the organisation Mr Liby Johnson himself
was an IRMAN from the batch of PRM 15. Through the briefing we were
enriched about different ways in which Kudumbashree helps the poor
and how they facilitate different services to the needy. Also we
were given an opportunity to work on a project for Kudumbashree
through our Rural action Component. After the briefing session we
took on an expedition towards our village Kavalam a beautiful place
situated around 150kms far from our reporting stations. Through our
VFS we went through a learning process which no amount of book
reading could have enlightened us.
1.1 Objective of the studyThe objective of our stay in the
village through VFS was to experience, understand and to an extent
enculturation of the local custom and practices. It also helps us
to witness diverse problems which people in the rural area exposed
to. Alongside which our learning process involved broader aspects
like:- Experiencing life styles of villagers, their attitudes,
customs, livelihood patterns as well as production and consumption
patterns Understand the function and role of various Government and
Non-government institutes and the impacts of different schemes on
village community Blend the classroom learning with the field
experience and develop skills for coping with different issues
faced by the local people
1.2 Scope of the studyIn the report we have included the scope
of the study that we have witnessed in 7 weeks of our stay in the
village. The scope of the study includes various factors like
literacy, employment and livelihood, culture, health, savings,
religion, caste, accessible to various natural resources as well as
various other factors which we have covered in different sections
of the report. We have tried to learn about the village life style
their culture and different other factors that influenced their
life in the village. In this report we have tried to amalgamate the
experience of life in the village both as a villager as well as
that of a learner.
1.3 MethodologyTo study different aspects of the village as a
whole we needed our self both the qualitative as well as
quantitative data of the village, which we acquired through
adopting different techniques and methodologies. These
methodologies involved two broader aspects involving Primary and
Secondary Sources of data collection. These collection of data was
a very intrigued way of collecting information as it was very
important in determining different aspects of rural life. The
villagers as well as people in Government and Non-government
organisation were very cordial as well cooperative in sharing
information in this regard. Figure 1- Sources Of Data
Collection
1.3.1 Primary sources of data collection Household
surveyHousehold survey was an important part of our survey that we
conducted for collecting information.We conducted questionaire
survey. Our village had 3142 households according report made by
the village panchayat We decided to conduct cluster sampling to
select the household that we would survey.Cluster sampling helped
us to get a detail qualitative idea regarding the village. Detailed
on sampling has been covered on following sections as well as
annexures.
Semi structured interviewsInformal interviews were the second
best important method of collecting information from target people
through one to one interview session.This important method of data
collection involved visiting selected households to carryout
interviews and gather information regarding culture and livelihood
of the village.
Focus Group DiscussionsFocus group discussions helped us to
gather information regarding specific issues related to the
villagers. It was a great way of collecting information because of
the level of enthusism showed by the villagers. Through focus group
discussions methods we were able to collect different perspectives
of the villagers regarding a single problem.
ObservationsThese process of collecting informations gave us a
better understanding of village society. The people in the
Panchayat office helped us a lot in collecting information
regarding the same as they themselves accompanied us to some of the
places initially. The process of Transect walk turned out to be a
huge leraning exercise as it not only helped us to collect datas
but also helped us to involved with villagers more in a personal
level. Through transect walk process we were able to identify
problems of the villagers in more of a personal level.Altogether
these interviews and discussions gave us an opportunity to know the
villagers in a better way.
1.3.2 Secondary SourcesOther than the methods we adopted to
collect primary data we also relied on some other resources to
collects datas as well. These resources involved institutions as
Village Panchayat Schools Krishi bhavan Anganwadi Post office
Veterinary hospitals PHC Kudumbashree office
2. INTRODUCTION TO KAVALAM2.1 Location & AccessKavalam is
located in the Veliyanad block of Kuttanad Taluk in Alappuzha
District. Kavalam is located on the border of Alappuzha and
Kottayam districts. Kavalam is a green haven surrounded by back
waters in all sides. It is a low lying area with an elevation below
the sea level.Kavalam is easily accessible by bus from
Changanacherry & Kottayam which are around 13km and 25 km from
it. KSRTC buses are available at regular intervals from Kottayam
& Changanacherry. For people coming from Alappuzha, there is
boat service at regular intervals. It takes 45 minutes to reach
Kavalam from Alappuzha by boat. Changanacherry is the nearby
railway station. Most of the passenger trains & some of express
train have a halt at Changanacherry. Another railway station is in
the city of Kottayam which is 25 Km away. All the trains in the
Trivandrum- Konkan corridor have a halt at Kottayam. Nearest
Airport is Kochi International Airport which is 112 Km away from
Kavalam.Kavalam profile
Name of the VillageKavalam
Number of wards13
Name of the Gram Panchayath Kavalam
Name of the Block PanchayathVeliyanad
Name of the TalukKuttanad
Name of the DistrictAlappuzha
BoundaryNorthKazhiyoormangalam
EastPulimooduUchethara Canal
WestAttumukham-Kurishu Canal
SouthVandakapally Canal
Name of the Parliament ConstituencyMavelikkara
Name of the Assembly ConstituencyKuttanad
Table 1- Profile of Kavalam
Source: Kavalam Panchayat Office
2.2 Agro-climatic Conditions2.2.1 Rainfall Kavalam receives an
average rainfall of about 3000 mm. Although distributed throughout
the year Kavalam receives 60% of rain during southwest monsoons
(May August) and 30% during northeast monsoon (October- November).
Most of the areas in Kavalam are subjected to floods during the
monsoon periods. These floods cause severe agricultural losses
& household losses.2.2.2 TemperatureThe climate in Kavalam is
hot and humid. The average summer temperature is 35 C and the
average winter temperature is 20 C. April is the hottest month
& January is the coldest month. There is heavy mist during the
winter seasons so that fisherman find it difficult to do fishing
after the mist set in. The humidity is high during the monsoon
season with peak humidity ranging from 80% to 90% during the
morning hours.2.2.3 TopographyKavalam has a plain topography with
0% forest land. Its elevation ranges from 0.6m above to 2.2m below
the sea level. Most of the area is covered with water throughout
the year.
2.3 Natural Resources Kavalam has Clay Loam Soil. All thirteen
wards have soil which is high in acidic content. The soil here is
very fertile and is good for agricultural purposes. Kavalam is
located on the banks of Vembanad Lake. Pamba river flows through
the village to merge into the vembanad lake. Rajapuram lake and
Mangalam lake are also in the vicinity of Kavalam. Kavalam has zero
percent forest land.
3. VILLAGE SOCIETY3.1 PopulationKavalam has 3142 households
among the 13 wards of the village. The Kavalam village has
population of 13089 of which 6433 are males while 6656 are females.
Population of children within the age of 0-6 years is 1359 which
constitutes 10.58% of the total population. The child sex ratio is
975 which is higher than the Kerala average of 964. The area is
dominated by Hindu Community.
Figure-2Religion wise Population Distribution
Figure-3Caste wise Population DistributionKavalam has a
satisfactory Gender ratio of 1035. The reason for high Gender ratio
is that there is no visible preference for male child as in most
parts of Kerala & there is no reported cases of female
foeticide. Sex determination test is prohibited by law.PlaceGender
Ratio
Kavalam1035
Alappuzha1100
Kerala1084
India933
Table 2 Gender ratioSource-Census 2011
3.2 Literacy and Level of EducationKavalam is one of the most
literate villages in Kerala with a literacy rate of 97.72. Though
the village has only 3 schools and has no graduate colleges, the
people here go to nearby cities like Changanacherry or Kottayam for
educational purposes. People here have high awareness about
education and send their both boy and girl child to school.
Majority of the students here are going for graduate courses after
passing out from school. Most of the students attend coaching
classes in order to prepare for Engineering or Medical entrance
exam. Two years ago a student from Kavalam topped the All Kerala
Engineering Entrance Exam.
Place Literacy Rate
MalesFemalesTotal
Kavalam98.5496.9497.72
Alappuzha97.3694.2495.72
Kerala96.0892.3493.91
India82.1465.4674.04
Table 3 Literacy RateSource: Census 2011
3.3 Caste and ReligionHindus are in majority in Kavalam. The
major Hindu castes present are Nair, Ezhavas, Chettiars, Thandar,
Kollan, Ashari, Thattan & Pattanmar. Nair and Pattanmar belong
to the Upper caste. Ezhava community constitutes almost 70% of the
hindu population. They belong to the OBC category. They have a
major say in Panchayat elections due to their large majority and
political parties are fielding candidates from Ezhava community to
get Ezhava votes. Present Panchayath President of Kavalam belong to
Ezhava caste. Christians are the second largest community in
Kavalam after Hindus. The major Christian castes present are
Suriyanis, Roman Catholics, Marthomites, Jacobites & Latin
Catholics. Scheduled caste constitutes 10.51% of the total
population. They are not backward and are highly educated. Ward 4
& Ward 11 are reserved for SC members in Panchayat elections.
Even Mavelikkara which is the Parliamentary Constituency to which
Kavalam belongs is an SC reserved Parliamentary Constituency.
Muslims constitutes only a small part of the total population.Hindu
celebrate Onam during the harvest season and Vishu during the
Malayalam new year. Christmas & Easter are the major festivals
celebrated by Christians. Muslims celebrate Eid & Bakrid. All
the festivals are celebrated in communal harmony with each
community inviting the other communities for their festivals.
3.4 Culture The village boasts a snake boat called Kavalam
Chundan. It is a regular participant in the prestigious Nehru
Trophy Boat Race & has won it 6 times. Kavalam Chundan has
served as a source of cultural pride for years. People of Kavalam
have a great affinity for Sports. Tug of War is the most prominent
sport played in the region followed by Football and Athletics. Tug
of war tournaments are conducted frequently. Another major
tournament conducted in Kavalam is sevens football tournament which
is seven players a side and is played at night under floodlights.
Athletics is very popular among teenagers. Cricket has a very less
penetration in the village. Kavalam Panchayat Office conducts
Kavalam Sports Meet every year to identify hidden talents. The
winners gets a chance to participate in Alappuzha district sports
meet .Cultural & sports clubs are seen at every alternate
junction in the panchayat. They conduct interclub competitions.
This helps in bringing people out from their introvert nature.
Girls in Kavalam have a great interest in dance. They take dance
lessons from their young age. Kathakali, Chakyar Koothu &
Mohiniyattam are the traditional art forms of Hindus. Margamkali
& Parichamuttukali are the art forms of Christians here.
Pulluvan Pattu is the art form of SC community in Kavalam. Pooram(
Temple festivals ) takes place at all temples during the months of
March to May. These festivals are a treat to watch with wide
variety of fireworks, ornately decorated elephants and
Panchavadhyam which is an orchestra of five musical
Instruments.
3.5 FoodStaple food is based on rice and its derivatives.
Coconut oil is used to prepare most of the dishes. People here are
mostly non vegetarians with preference for fish and beef. People
eat fish throughout the day. Kavalam is very famous for its seafood
delicacies. Weddings here are known for its sumptuous food. Hindu
weddings have a completely vegetarian meal. The plate of choice is
banana leaf. Rice and various kerala vegetarian dishes like Sambar,
Avial , Rasam are served. Christian marriages by contrast serve Non
vegetarian food which includes beef, Fish and Pork dishes with rice
or biriyani. We attended a Christian wedding where we were served
Beef biriyani.Most common food available in breakfast were puttu,
dosa, idly, appam, porotta which were served with some curry. In
the afternoon people usually had rice with sambar, rasam,
pappadam(papad) , fish curry, beef fry and pickle. In the evening
people had chappati or porotta with vegetarian, fish or chicken
dishes.
4. VILLAGE INFRASTRUCTURE4.1 Transport4.1.1 RoadsA decade back
kavalam was accessible only by boats. Now Kavalam is connected by
roads to nearby towns Alappuzha, Changanacherry & Kottayam. 70%
of the roads are kacha roads and only 30 % of them are pacca.
Condition of roads is really bad with major portion of them having
potholes mostly due to flood. KSRTC buses to Kottayam &
Changanacherry are available at regular intervals. Some of the
houses are having narrow muddy paths through which even bikes do
not pass4.1.2 RailwaysThe nearest railway station is Changanacherry
which is around 13kms from Kavalam. The station has a stop for all
passenger trains and most of the express trains. It is of great
help to people who work in the nearby towns,. The nearest major
railway station is Kottayam which is around 25kms from Kavalam. All
the major trains have stop at Kottayam station & Kottayam is
connected to all major cities across the country.4.1.3
WaterwaysWaterways had always been a major mode of transportation
in the panchayat. Earlier days people here used to procure food
items and sell their produce to nearby town using private or
individual boats. The backwaters and rivers surrounding the
panchayat and the lack of bridges at some parts of the panchayat
makes waterways an integral part of transportation here. People
here are still dependent on jangar and boat services to reach
nearby panchayats and Alappuzha. Some people have also utilised
this dependency on boats for transportation to small distances as
means of their livelihood.
4.2 Communication4.2.1 TelecommunicationMobile phones are
commonly used in the region and there is atleast one mobile phone
in every household. Airtel, Vodafone, BSNL and Idea are the major
service providers due to good connection and coverage area. Due to
Kudumbashree intervention mobile phones are extensively used by
village women for various purposes. Smart phones are widely popular
in village among younger generations. There is colour television in
every household with richer households having lcd/led televisions.
Radio has become almost extinct with only some of the older people
using it for hearing news.
4.2.2 Post OfficePost office is located near to the Panchayath
office. It started functioning in the year 1980. Earlier post
office played an integral part in lives of the villagers but now
with influx of mobile phones and other modes of communication it is
becoming a thing of the past. Now function of post office has been
reduced to collecting official letters, admit cards, electricity
bills and telephone bills. There is a growing trend of people
preferring saving schemes at post office over banks.. There is a
Post Master, 4post men, 2 post woman and 3 other employees in this
post office. The post office is computerized and it also offers
other services like speed post and money order.4.2.3 InternetThere
is an Akshaya centre in the village which is used by villagers to
know job notifications, online form submissions and to check exam
results. Computer training is provided at the Akshaya centre to the
villagers free of cost. There is also an internet cafe in the
village. Almost all rich households have internet connections. It
is very heartening to see that some of the poor households have
provided internet connections to their children for their
educational purposes. BSNL and Asianet are the major broadband
connection providers in this village. Majority of the youngsters
utilize internet connections in their smart phones. The village has
3G facility for Idea, BSNL & Airtel.4.2.4 Mass MediaMost of the
people subscribe to either Mathrubhumi or Manorama which are the
leading Malayalam dailies. Keralakaumudi daily is very popular
among the Ezhava community. Newspapers owned by political parties
like Chandrika which is owned by Muslim league and Deshabhimani
which is owned by CPM are popular among their respective party
followers. Christian community prefer Manorama over other dailies.
English dailies like Hindu and Indian Express are subscribed in
some of the households but their popularity is very less compared
to Malayalam dailies. Large number of local periodicals &
fortnightly magazines related to religion & culture are
published in the village. Womans Fortnightly magazines like Vanitha
& Grihalakshmi are subscribed in most of the households. All
households have cable tv connection. The region has its own cable
tv sevice provider called Kuttanad cable vision.
4.3 ElectricityThe village is 100% electrified with power supply
available 24 hours a day. Village gets electricity from 66 KV
substation Kuttanad. KSEB office is located at a distance of 5kms
from panchayath office. Street lights are installed in all major
roads.
Number of Transformers27
Number of street lights a)40W b)tube lights210105(40W * 2)
Electricity lines 1)H.T 2)L.T38 Km114 Km
Table 4: Electricity Infrastructure Details(Source: Panchayath
office, Kavalam & KSEB office, Kavalam)4.4 MarketKavalam has a
local market with shops situated in the roadside itself. These
shops provide essential items for the residents like groceries,
vegetables, medicines, stationary & other necessary items.
There is no monopoly for any items in the market. There are a large
number of roadside vendors selling wide variety of fishes. Large
numbers of beggers are found in the market during daytime. Normal
timing of shops are from 9.30 am -7.00 pm.There are 2 fast food
restaurants which are open till 2.00 am in the morning. For the
purchase of luxurious & expensive items rich people go to
either Changanacherry or Kottayam which are at a distance of 13Km
& 20Km from Kavalam respectively. Types of shops & their
frequencies are listed in the following table.Table 5: Types of
shops & their frequencies(Source: transect walk) Type of
shopNumber of shops
Restaurants7
Tea Stalls4
Medical shops1
Bakeries6
Vegetable & Fruit shops5
Jewelleries1
Barber shop2
Textiles & tailors1
Provisions & General Stores7
Garage3
Electronics1
Mobile shops3
Books & stationary store1
4.5 Education4.5.1 AnganwadiThere are 17 anganwadis in the
village. These were established under the Integrated Child
Development Scheme. All these anganwadis have an anganwadi worker
who looks after the education & administration & a helper.
The anganwadis provide 2 meals a day to the children. Most of the
anganwadis have a strength of 10-12 & it is generally the BPL
families & immigrant labourers who sent their children to
anganwadis. Rich families prefer private day care centres or play
schools over anganwadis. Some of the additional activities carried
out in anganwadis are as follows: Immunization of children against
Polio, Malaria, Jaundice etc. are provided Anganwadi staffs carry
out various surveys like farmers pension survey, widow survey,
senior citizens survey, handicapped survey etc by visiting each
household. Distributing Nutrimix food supplement units to children
between 6 months to 3 years Maintaining records like weight of
children between 0-6 years & pregnant woman.
4.5.2 SchoolGovernment primary schoolThe government primary
school was established in 1977. In the current academic year the
school has 41 boys and 18 girls.. An headmistress & 3 teachers
comprises the staff. The medium of instruction is Malayalam. There
is a large dropout of students as people are opting for English
medium CBSE schools. As per RTE provision free textbooks &
uniforms are provided to the students. Students are given mid-day
meals under the mid-day meal scheme. Table 6:Government Lower
Primary School DetailsBoysGirlsTotal
I6410
II13114
III16723
IV6612
Total411859
Government Upper Primary SchoolThe government upper primary
school was established in 1980.In the current academic year the
school has 69 boys and 58 girls. There are 9 teachers including
Headmaster. The medium of instruction is Malayalam. English subject
is taught from 1st class & Sanskrit & Hindi are taught from
5th class. Students are provided text books and uniforms free of
cost & are also given mid-day meals every day. The total number
of students has decreased compared to previous years due to people
preferring English medium CBSE schools. Students belonging to
Christian & Nair community are less because they prefer schools
run by Christian management & Nair Service society
respectively.
Table 7: Government Upper Primary School DetailsRoll
StrengthSCOECChristianHindu NairOBC
BGTBGTBGTBGTBGTBGT
I369000033000101235
II369000011011000347
III5813011112000011459
IV109190001340000119514
V1952431451600012310111
VI19123120245920212310515
VII1012221123251010115813
Total6958127639141630314437433174
Little Flower Higher Secondary SchoolLittle flower higher
secondary school was established in 1999. It is a CBSE affiliated
school with English as medium of instruction. The school is well
equipped with modern facilities like Computer lab, science lab,
library, playground etc. School buses are there to pick students
from different wards and nearby villages. The number of students
studying here is 706. A large number of students join here from
government schools. The school has a 100% pass record in 10th class
since its establishment.Table 8:Little Flower Higher Secondary
School DetailsTotal Strength Boys Girls706361345
Staff Strength Teachers Others402713
Number of students in 10th class105
OthersChanganacherry has a large number of English medium
schools with modern facilities. A majority of students in Kavalam
studies in those schools. School buses are there to pick children
from Kavalam. It is observed that 85% of rich people sent their
children to schools in Changanacherry. Reason for people preferring
these schools over those in Kavalam is that they have high quality
of teaching with ultra-modern facilities & also some of the
schools provide Engineering & Medical Entrance coaching to
students.
Table 9 : Schools Outside Kavalam & Their
locationSchoolLocationDistance
Good Shepherd Public School Thengana, Changanacherry15 Km
Sacred Hearts Public SchoolKilimala, Changanacherry19 Km
Placid Public SchoolChanganacherry14 Km
Kristujyothi Public SchoolChanganacherry12 Km
St Theresas Girls High SchoolLissio5 km
NSS Higher Secendary SchoolVeliyanad3 Km
Nair Samajam SchoolPerunna, Changanacherry8 Km
(Source: Informal Interview, Kavalam)4.5.3 College Government
Industrial training college is the only college in Kavalam. There
is no notable institutes in Kavalam catering to the villagers
graduate level or post graduate level needs. Students in Kavalam
have to travel to Alappuzha, Kottayam or Changanacherry for higher
studies.Table 10: Colleges outside Kavalam & their
distancesCollegeDistance
Engineering College,Pulinkunnu5 Km
Government Medical College, Kottayam25 Km
T.D Medical College, Alappuzha32 Km
B Ed Training Centre,Kunnumma6 Km
St Berchmans College , Changanacherry13 Km
Kristu Jyothi College for Arts & Visual Media15 Km
(Source: Informal Interview, Kavalam)
4.6 Health4.6.1 PHCPHC is located near to the Panchayath
office.
Table 11: PHC DetailsStaffNumber
Medical Officer1
Staff Nurse1
Pharmacist1
Health inspector1
Lady Health Inspector1
Junior Health Inspector2
Junior Public Health Nurse5
Clerk1
Office Attendant2
Nursing Assistant1
Hospital Attendant1
Doctor is available everyday between 9am to 4pm. PHC has 15 beds
& medicines are also provided here. Critical cases are given
first aid & then referred to Government medical colleges in
Alappuzha or Kottayam. There are two ASHA volunteers for each ward.
There is a Ward Health & Sanitation Committee in each ward in
which ward member is the chairman & Junior health inspector is
the convenor. It consists of 15 members & they meet every month
to discuss about health & sanitation conditions in the ward.
Kudumbashree members are a great help to all medical camps as they
provide necessary manpower. Mental Health Action (MHA) which is an
ngo based in Kochi conducts a medical camp for mentally challenged
people every month. Other activities carried out by PHC are as
follows: Immunization of children below the age of six in
collaboration with Anganwadis Distribution of vaccine against
Dengue, Leptospyra, Jaundice, Malaria etc Carrying out sanitation
& cleanliness awareness camps Aiding pregnant & lactating
mothers with the help of ASHA workers.
4.6.2 SanitationSanitation is not an issue in Kavalam. Every
household has a toilet & there are no cases of open defecation.
The villagers are very conscious about personal hygiene & they
take bath two times a day. Major sanitation issue people here face
is during the time of flood. There is leakage of septic tank &
so there is spread of water borne diseases like cholera, Jaundice
& also toilets gets flooded with river water.4.6.3 Drinking
WaterDrinking water is a major cause of concern in the panchayath.
Most of the people here use river water for drinking purpose while
some people purchase drinking water from outside. Earlier there was
pipe line connection but due to the lack of intermediate storage
tanks water did not reach the low lying area of panchayath.
Drinking water issue becomes severe during the time of floods.
People wont be able to purchase water from outside due to
transportation problems as roads will be filled with water. River
water will be contaminated with human waste, dead bodies of animals
,wastes from farmlands. When people consume this water for drinking
they will be affected with water borne diseases like Jaundice,
Cholera. People use rainwater harvesting as a coping measure during
floods but its not that effective.4.6.4 Government Ayurvedic
HospitalGovernment Ayurvedic hospital is located near to the
panchayath office at the heart of Kavalam. It was established in
1999. The hospital has one medical officer, one pharmacist, one
pharmacy attendant & one part time sweeper. The medical officer
is available every day between 10 am to 3.30 pm. Last year the
hospital was allocated a fund of Rs 4.50 lakhs by the panchayath
for renovation & purchase of medicines. The Ayurvedic hospital
has come up with a unique project called Shadangathoyam with the
help of Panchayath. Under this project every household is given a
medicinal powder called Shadangam free of cost. The powder can be
used with drinking water. This powder increases immunity level of
body and can be used as a preventive against most diseases.4.6.5
Homeopathic DispensaryHomeopathic dispensary was started in 2001
& is located in ward 8. The dispensary has one doctor & one
attendant. The normal working time is 10 am to 6 pm. People
approach dispensary for taking preventive against contagious
diseases. Villagers in Kavalam prefer homeopathic medicines for
their children over Ayurveda & Antibiotics.4.6.6 Veterinary
HospitalThere is one veterinary hospital in Ward 12. It was
established in 1999. The hospital has one veterinary surgeon, one
livestock inspector, one attendant and one part time sweeper.
Normal working time is between 9am to 3pm. The services offered
here are artificial inseminations, pregnancy diagnosis, first aid
& vaccination. Veterinary hospital conducted an awareness camp
in November for the villagers regarding artificial insemination
& feeding help.
5. VILLAGE INSTITUTIONS 5.1 Government Institutions 5.1.1 Krishi
BhavanKrishi Bhavan helps in the promotion of agricultural
activities in a panchayat. The Krishi Bhavan in Kavalam is located
nearby the panchayat office and is constituted by an Agricultural
officer and two assistants. The office has now started looking into
processing and marketing of the agricultural produce apart from
giving technical advice for enhancing agricultural production. The
office provides seeds, fertilizers and pesticides for the farmers
on a subsidised rate. Paddy which is the main crop cultivated in
the panchyat is procured directly from farmers through Krishi
Bhavan. There is also a coconut procurement program through which
coconut collected from the farmers is given to KERAFED. The office
promotes farm mechanisation as there is an unavailability of
agricultural labours in the panchayat. A programme by the Krishi
Bhavan named Karshika Karma Sena aims at attracting youth to
agriculture by giving them job as Technicians rather than mere
labourers. Under this programme the office provides technical
training, uniform and vehicle to the youth and appoints them as
Agricultural Technicians. The future plans of the office include
promotion of organic farming and introduction of a scheme named
Integrated Farming System wherein the farmer is engaged in
agricultural activities like cattle rearing, fisheries apart from
the regular paddy cultivation so that he/she has a regular source
of income from agriculture throughout the year.5.2 Community
Institutions 5.2.1 Kudumbashree Kudumbashree functions hand in hand
with the panchayat office in Kavalam. The fund that the panchayat
office receives for women and children welfare is directed through
Kudumbashree for various programmes. The three tier structure of
Kudumbashree in the panchayat has 143 NHGs at the bottom level,
followed by an ADS at the ward level and finally a CDS at the
panchayat level. The NHG is a group of 15-20 members, each from
different houses in a particular area. They involve themselves in
income generating activities like farming, stitching and sale of
food items. Every week they conduct a review meeting of their
activities and also collect individual contributions towards their
joint bank account. Every NHG in a ward elects 5 members from their
group to constitute the ADS for the ward. The ADS supervises the
activities of all NHGs in a ward, conducts monthly review meeting
and also helps them out with their problems. A representative from
every ADS constitutes the CDS and it supervises all the initiatives
and programmes by Kudumbashree in the panchayat. A recent
initiative by Kudumbashree was Mechanisation of Agriculture in
which the members were given training to use sprayers for
fertilizers and pesticides and also the use of a machine for
seeding. The participation of women in agriculture is encouraged
through the Joint liability group programme of Kudumbashree in
which they engage themselves in collective farming of paddy on a
leased paddy field. Kudumbashree also promotes small scale
businesses among their NHGs by giving them training to impart
technical, managerial and financial skill and also with a financial
support of Rs 50,000 subsidy and loans with no interest up to 6
months and later on with an interest of 1%. Some of the members of
Kudumbashree also work as ASHA members in the village. A case study
based on Kudumbashree is attached in Annexure 6.5.2.2 Kakka
Co-operative SocietyThe proximity of the panchayat to sea and
brackish water is a good source of oyster for the people living
here. The meat from the oyster is used as food and the shell is
supplied as a source of calcium carbide for gas welding in
companies. The Kakka Co-operative Society in the panchayat looks
after the procurement of the oyster shells from different
households and supplies it to the companies on a large scale. The
payment from the companies is distributed among the households and
this act as a good source of income for the people engaged in
fisheries. The working of the society is affected only during flood
when the people would not able to collect oysters. Any oyster
collected during the period is stored and supplied to the companies
after the flood.
6. VILLAGE LIVELIHOODS6.1 Asset Base Available To People6.1.1
Human AssetKavalam has a literacy rate of 97.72. High newspaper
reading habit & High TV and other mass media penetration has
improved peoples information & awareness on various matters.
The health has improved under various government schemes like
Mukulam, Abhayam and various awareness programmes. People here are
very hardworking & are entrepreneurial in nature. Woman in the
village are involved in various business activities like hotels,
catering units, shops etc. People here have great affinity for
sports like tug of war & football. The diet is mainly non
vegetarian with high preference towards beef and sea food. 6.1.2
Natural AssetThe cultivable area in Kavalam is 1694 hectares. The
village has a clay loam soil which is highly acidic. The soil
terrain supports the cultivation of paddy, coconut and a wide
variety of vegetables. Water streams connected to the river at low
lying areas provide water for irrigation. Other modes of irrigation
are pump sets and common ponds. Most of the households use river
water for drinking purpose. The region has an abundant wealth of a
variety of fish due to its network of rivers and canals.6.1.3
Financial AssetMajor source of income is Agriculture. There are
7250 agricultural labourers in Kavalam. A large part of the
population is engaged in service sector like hotels, shops,
bakeries. There is a large number of people engaged in toddy
tapping and fisheries. Only a small part of the population works in
Middle East. There are nationalized banks, cooperative banks and
non-banking financial institutions in the village. Most of the
families have a bank account. Kudumbashree provide loans to its
members without any collateral. This has brought down exploitation
of poor by cunning moneylenders who have almost vanished. Women are
very fond of jewellery as they find it as a status symbol. They
also use gold as a source of liquid cash in emergency
situations.6.1.4 Social AssetsPeople belonging to different castes
live with harmony & solidarity. There is no segregation of
household settlements based on caste lines. But people have a
strong community feeling amongst them. People actively participate
in elections & make full use of Government facilities. Woman in
the village are empowered. They play an important role in household
and are the familys savings keepers. Kudumbashree has brought a
sense of cohesiveness among woman belonging to different
communities6.1.5 Personal AssetsPeople are ambitious & hard
working. Bonding among villagers is very high and they care for
each other. Although the people are well aware about the rules and
laws, only a small part of them exercise those. Kudumbashree has
infused a sense of confidence among the woman which has acted as a
catalyst in the overall development of the village. Most of the
younger generation are not interested in agriculture as they
perceive it as an out-dated profession which holds no
prestige.6.1.6 Organizational AssetsKudumbashree has a strong
presence in the village. It acted as a catalyst for woman
empowerment and poverty eradication which resulted into inclusive
development. Various Sports and cultural clubs in the village are
instrumental in bringing people from the comforts of their home and
provide them with a platform to enjoy and participate in various
cultural and sports activities.6.1.7 Physical AssetThe village is
well connected by roads to nearby towns. 70% of the roads are
kacha. There is an efficient public transportation system with
buses available at regular intervals. The village is 100%
electrified with power supply available 24 hours a day. Health and
Educational infrastructure available in the village are of average
quality. There is a well-established market in the village in which
all necessary items are available. The village has good sanitation
facilities and there are no cases of open defecation. Drinking
water is a cause of concern in the village as there is no pipeline
connection. Proper telephone and internet facilities are also
available in the village. Nationalized & cooperative banks
function in the village. People use fertilizers, pesticides and
latest technologies for paddy cultivation. During the recent years
there is a change in building structure from huts to concreted
houses.6.2 Vulnerability ContextThe village is severely affected by
flood during the monsoon period. It causes household losses &
agricultural losses. Most of the people shift to government relief
camp during this period. Transportation loss will be there due to
roads being filled with water resulting in income loss to the
people. People are severely affected by diseases like leptospyra,
Malaria during this period which sometimes even leads to
death.Kavalam face severe drinking water problems. There is no
pipeline connection & people use river & lake water for
drinking purpose. These water bodies are filled with household
wastes, animal wastes & farmland wastes. Consumption of these
water for drinking purposes result in water borne diseases like
cholera, Jaundice etc. Now there are increased cases of cancer
reported in Kavalam.Agriculture has been on a downturn over the
years. Younger generation is not interested in agriculture as they
are interested in service sector & white collar jobs. Increased
population has resulted in the reduction of agricultural lands
considerably. There are repeated cases of private parties buying
agricultural lands from farmers for setting up resorts or
residential colonies.
7. VILLAGE ECONOMYIn the past, the main source of livelihood for
people in Kavalam was Agriculture and Fisheries. The women were
mostly involved in mat making at their own houses and supplied it
to nearby town through boats. As time went on, the excessive use of
fertilizers and pesticides had resulted in the extinction of many
types of fishes and on the other hand the high returns from
construction labour and service sectors had made agriculture less
attractive for youth. The predominant service sectors that the
people of Kavalam now engage themselves in are hotels and bakeries,
stationary shops, toddy shops, mobile and automobile industries.
Small sector of the population who have now gained technical
competence have also started migrating to the Middle East
countries.
Figure 4- Distribution of the source of Income
Source - Kavalam Panchayat Office
Figure 5- Distribution of the livelihoodsSource - Kavalam
Panchayat Office
7.1 Agriculture
Agriculture has always been an important sector of the village
economy of Kavalam and it still continues to be the main source of
income for the people here even after an increase in turnout for
the service sector. Nearly 45 % of the working population is
directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture. Paddy, Coconut,
Banana, Pepper and Areca nut are the major agricultural produce in
the village. The panchayat has one of the most fertile soils in
Kerala and is most suitable for the cultivation of paddy. The total
cultivated area in the village is 1694 hectors and the average
production in one season is 10,425 metric ton. Total number of
farmers in the village is 7250 of which 3450 are men and 3800 are
women. Major sources of irrigation are water streams, tube wells
and ponds.
Crop Area under cultivation (ha)
Paddy 1322
Coconut 250
Banana 100
Vegetables 8
Cocoa 1
Fruits Plants 15
Pepper 5
Arecanut 5
Others 6
Table 12 Area wise distribution of cropsSource Krishi Bhavan,
Kavalam
Kuttanad region has one of the most fertile soils in the world.
Four major rivers namely Achenkoil, Pampa, Manimala & Meenachil
originating from nearby higher ranges discharge their water into
the Arabian sea through this region and the sediments deposited at
the river banks makes the region suitable for agriculture. The soil
found in Kerala is generally acidic and it is highly acidic in the
case of Kuttanad region. The soil in Kavalam is hence neutralised
by washing it off with a mix of water and lime and in this way made
suitable for cultivation. The flood that happens in this region can
be seen as beneficial for the farmers in this aspect.
There are mainly three crop seasons in Kerala namely:
Virippu(Kharif season), Mundakan (2nd crop) and Puncha (Rabi
season). Virippuis the main season of cultivation in almost all
parts of Kerala wherein the sowing happens in June / July,
immediately after the South-West monsoon, and the harvesting in
September/October. Mundakan is mainly the season for second crop in
Kerala and takes place during the period September/October to
December. In the third season named Puncha the sowing takes place
during November / December, immediately after the North East
Monsoon, and harvesting in March / April. Though it is the period
for the third crop in other parts of Kerala, Kavalam has this
season as their main cultivation period as the region has no
shortage of water during the nearing summer time. After the south
west monsoon the additional crop for Kavalam is cultivated during
the Virippuseason wherein the agricultural lands bounded by
waterways have bunds erected along the flow of water. During the
Virippu season an area of about 100 Ha are brought under
cultivation. The cultivation of second crop started after the
placement of shutters at two places namely Thotapally and
Thanneermukkom to prevent the inflow of saline water during tidal
rise.
Agricultural fields in Kavalam can be seen as contiguous blocks
or padasekharams or polders bounded by rivers & canals.
Padashekara Committee which is a group of farmers is officially
recognised under the Societies Registration Act and promotes group
farming practices. The area of cultivable land for a committee can
vary from few hectares to 1000 ha. Kavalam panchayat has a total of
17 Padashekara Committees.
The average harvest of paddy on a 1 Acre land in the panchayat
is around 3 tonnes. The total return for this harvest comes around
Rs. 60,000 with a market price of Rs. 20,000 for 1 tonne.With the
total input cost for paddy cultivation on a 1 Acre land around Rs.
15,000, the profit earned by the farmer on 1 Acre land paddy
cultivation comes to Rs. 45,000. The farmer can also get additional
earnings from the paddy straw produced.
7.2 Service sector
People in Kerala now have a high preference for service sector
jobs as they offer an attractive pay package when compared to
agricultural labours. The trend is the same among the workforce in
Kavalam and a number of people in the panchayat are working in
government service sectors like bank, schools, hospital and other
institutions. With the Government service sector jobs and the
inflow of money from Middle East, the purchasing power of the
people started increasing and in this way the local economy started
prospering. Majority of the youth are now working in restaurants,
bakeries, stationary shops, mobile shops and automobile
workshops.
7.3 Toddy Shops
Coconut is found in abundance in the panchayat as in any parts
of Kerala and there are also a number of toddy tappers in the
village. They supply the toddy to the hotels here and the
cuisineand the toddy available in these hotels are renowned for its
taste and hence attract a lot of tourists to this place. Most of
the men in the village are also regular customers of these toddy
shops. The panchayat has a total of 7 toddy shops and it acts as a
good source of income for the people engaged in these shops and
also for the toddy tappers.
7.4 Middle East Income
The section of the population in Kavalam which had migrated to
Middle East countries is limited only to skilled workers who have
gained competency in one or the other technical aspect. A small
section of about 3% of the total population of the village is
working in Middle East.
7.5 Labour
There is a scarcity for local labours in the panchayat as people
here are now more engaged in service sector jobs. Any available
local labours also demand high wages. The prevailing Government
wage rates for labours are Rs. 350 for men and Rs.250 for women,
but in reality the high demand for labours have shot up the rates
to Rs.600-700 for men and Rs. 300 for women. These high wage rates
by local labourers have now attracted many labourers from other
states like Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal and they are in high
demand in hotels and construction works. The panchayat also finds
it difficult to get labourers for their works as there is huge
difference between the market wage rates and the rates allotted in
the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
7.6 Money and finance
The panchayat has both nationalized and private sector banks,
namely SBI and Federal Bank respectively to cater to the banking
needs of the people living here. There are also other non-banking
financial institutions that are involved in money lending,
investment and other financial activities. The co-operative bank in
the panchayat plays an important role here as they provide loans at
lesser interest rates and hence acts as a support to the lower
income earning families.
8. VILLAGE POLITY
The village community is mostly dominated by Ezhavas. The other
main communities found in the village are Christians, Nairs,
Muslims and Pulayars or Parayars. Cast based politics is prevalent
in the Panchayat as the political parties only select a member of a
particular caste as their nominee in an area dominated by that
particular caste. An election between different castes based
candidates thus never results in the power getting vested with a
particular community and the overall constitution of the panchayat
has always seen members from different communities.
8.1 Gram Panchayat A total of 13 wards in the panchayat have
most of its ward members from CPI (M) and the others from INC. The
panchayat has more than 50% reservation for women and currently has
women ward members in 7 out of the 13 wards. In this way women play
an important role in the decision making process in the panchayat.
Mr Omanakuttan Janardhanan is the current Panchayat president. The
discussions and review of various development programmes by the
Panchayat happens at least twice in a month. The president has a
good bonding with everyone in the office and the experience of the
vice president as the Assistant District Mission Commission of
Kudumbashree had come handy for him to setup a smooth functioning
Kudumbashree office in the panchayat. Apart from the president and
the ward members, the panchayat office is constituted by government
appointed secretary and other officers, Kudumbashree CDS
chairperson and Accountant. Gramsabhas are conducted in every ward
once in three months to understand the issues faced by the public
and also to come up with various development programmes. The
panchayat also conducts public meetings and various other awareness
campaigns at anganwadis, public health centre and in government
schools.
8.2 Politics and Public participation
CPI (M) and INC are the two major political parties present in
the panchayat. BJP has a very low public support here. Both the
political parties have local area committee offices as well as
proactive youth wings in the panchayat and their unions have high
influence in various government institutions. The parties have
always been actively participating in the social life of the
panchayat through regular rallies and meetings. But on the other
side participation of women in the political scenario is on a lower
side in the panchayat. The panchayat had witnessed CPM-BJP and CPM
RSS conflicts in its earlier days but nowadays law and order
situation is largely peaceful in the village.
9. THEMATIC INSIGHTS9.1 FPCR - Impact of Flood & Its Coping
Measures Akhil G (P35008) Vinayak Rajeev (P35105) Introduction
Kavalam panchayat, located in Kuttanad region of Kerala, is a
low lying area and is placed at a depth of 2 meters below sea
level. The geographical positioning, the heavy downpour and the
overflow of four major rivers from nearby higher ranges have all
resulted in the flooding of the region during monsoon period.
Earlier the flood used to occur only once in a year i.e. during
monsoon period but nowadays with an uncertainty in the arrival of
rains the flooding of the region has also become uncertain.
People in the panchayat face a lot of issues during flood like
difficulty in staying and cooking at home, household damages,
transportation issues and spread of diseases. The regular flooding
of the region over the years has also forced the people over here
to come up with several coping measures for each of these issues.
In this scenario, our focus was on to study the impacts of floods
and also the coping measures adopted by the people for the
same.
Objectives
The objectives of our study were as follows:
1. To have an overview of impacts of floods on lives &
livelihood of rural communities in our village2. To evaluate the
coping mechanisms used for sustenance3. To identify the most
significant impacts and relevant coping mechanisms used.
Methodology: FCM Approach
The methodology that we had adopted for the study of Impact of
flood and its coping measure was Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping. Fuzzy
Logic which deals with reasoning that is approximate rather than
fixed and exact forms the basis for Cognitive Mapping. The
cognitive map formed in this study represents the mental landscape
of the target audience and the grading of the relation between
various factors in the map gives us an idea about the strength of
the factors.
The FCM approach that we utilised for impact analysis and the
study of coping measures can be broadly classified into 3 stages.
They are as follows:
1. Identifying Sample Groups
Data collection in any field work begins with the identification
of various sample groups within the target audience. In Kavalam we
took the sample groups as the different communities present in the
panchayat. A place which is mostly dominated by the Ezhava
community has also the presence of other communities like
Christians, Nairs, Muslims and Pulayars or Parayars. A total number
of 40 homogenous groups of at most 5 members each were selected
across the different communities with a criterion that members in a
group has to be of equal social-economic status.
2. Data Collection
Data collection and cognitive maps from different sample groups
in the village were done through semi-structured interviews. All
the members in a group were interviewed at the same time and the
grading for the various factors and coping measures in the map was
done after a consensus in the group.
3. Data Analysis
The cognitive map of a group is a pictorial representation of
the different problems faced and coping measures adopted by a
particular community during flood. The relevance of different
impacts and the coping measures for the same varies across
different communities. The impacts and coping measures from 40 maps
are then augmented using augmenter software. The different factors
in the augmented map are then condensed and visualized into a final
map with different condensed primary factors and coping
measures.
Impacts
The observations made after the data analysis of different
cognitive maps are as follows:
Agricultural losses and Transportation problem are the most
dreadful impacts of flood in the panchayat.
Repair work of their houses after flood and shifting to
government relief camps are the most significant coping measure
adopted by the people during flood.
There is an uncertainty in the flooding of the region with
floods happening more than once in a year.
Flooding also has a positive impact of washing away the excess
fertilizers and pesticides accumulated in the farmlands.
9.2 Theme paper - Socio Economic Impact of Urbanization in
Village life Sushantha Kumar Das (35099)When we went forward with
our VFS, we were quite enthusiasts about the life that we were
going to witness so choosing a theme based on the socio economic
impact would have given us a better understanding of the relative
world that resides in the village.Collecting data regarding the
theme paper based on impact of urbanization we were exposed to
different facts related to migration, infrastructure development as
well as improvement in the transportation. Although theme paper
research not only dealt with the economic aspects but also how it
influences the social life of human being living in the
village.Through the research on theme paper related to socio
economic impact of urbanization we actually able to relate the life
style of people that residing in the village and that of residing
in the urban sector. According to which we were able to draw many
inference on how to minimise the gap among the two sectors and what
qualitative improvement can be brought against it.
10. REFLECTIONS ON VFS
Kavalam, a green haven surrounded by backwaters, still has its
natural beauty mostly kept untouched by its people even after a
number of development initiatives by them over the years. One of
the most important developments that happened in the panchayat was
the connectivity of the village to nearby towns through roadways.
Waterway which was the only mode of transportation in the earlier
days is still relied upon by people to travel to nearby places
which are not connected by bridges. Major changes have also been
there in the social life of the people. A marshy land made out of a
sea by filling in with soil and rocks had seen only huts in its
earlier days but in the recent past the panchayat had witnessed a
major change in its building structure from huts to concreted
houses. Agriculture and fisheries has been the major source of
livelihood for the people here. A low lying land which has one of
the most fertile soils in Kerala has paddy as the main crop
cultivated here. The people here also know the importance of
education and one can see a degree holder in almost all households
in the panchayat. Akshaya e-centres also promote computer usage
among the people. The panchayat office has brought in a number of
unique projects here that caters to various health issues and also
the welfare of women and girl children. Kudumbashree NHGs have also
helped the women in the panchayat to start micro enterprises.
A major problem faced by the Panchayat is the flooding of the
region during monsoon period. Agricultural losses, transportation
issues and spread of diseases are the main impacts of flood in this
region. Non availability of pipeline drinking water is a major
problem that the people face here throughout the year. People here
now mostly use water from canals or purchase drinking water from
nearby town and during floods mostly relies on rainwater
harvesting.
A land of scenic beauty, Kavalam definitely has a great
potential to attract tourists and the same remains unutilised in
the present conditions with unavailability of land for resorts and
lack of clients for an investment on the same.
REFERENCES Kavalam Panchayat Handbook Krishibhavan Handbook PHC
records Kudumbashree Office records www.censusindia.gov.in
www.wikipedia.com
http://lsgkerala.in/kavalampanchayat/tag/kavalam-panchayat/
ANNEXURES
Annexure 1: A Typical Daily Life ScheduleSince the villagers are
involved in a diverse range of occupations, there is no typical
daily life schedule in the village. So we have prepared daily life
schedule of an agricultural labourer and a housewife.Daily activity
schedule of men who go for agricultural labourerTimeActivity
6.30 amWake up and get ready for the day
7.00 amBreakfast
7.30 amGo to work
10.00 amTake rest & have snacks with tea
10.30 amResume work again
1.00 pmLunch & rest time
2.00 pmResume work
4.00 pmSnacks with tea
4.30 pmResume work again
5.00 pm Comes back home
5.00-6.30 pmSleep for some time
6.30 pm -7.30 pmGo out to buy something which is needed in house
or to meet friends or relatives
8.30 pmDinner
9.30 pmSleep
Source: Informal interview & Group discussion with various
agricultural labourersDaily activity schedule of a
HousewifeTimeActivity
5.00 amWake up and bath
5.30 am-6.30 amPrepare food
7.00 amBreakfast
7.30 am-8.30 amPrepare children for school
9.00 am Take rest for sometime
10.00 amBuy fish
10.30 am -12.30 pmPrepare food for lunch
1.00 pm Lunch
1.00 pm- 2.00 pmSleep for sometime
2.00 pm-3.30 pmGossiping with neighbours or indulge in
activities of Kudumbashree
3.30 pm-4.00 pmPrepare tea & snacks
6.00 pmPrayer time
6.30 pm-8.00 pmTV serials
8.30 pmDinner
10.00 pmSleep
Annexure 2: Focus Group Discussion DetailsAgenda of
DiscussionParticularsParticipants
Political HistoryTo know about the political practices in
Kavalam and the various past trends1)Omanakuttan
(PanchayatPresident)2)Sikhivahanan(Panchayat Secretary)3)Asha
Ajith(Ward member)4)Molammma(Ward member)5)Vijayalekshmi(Ward
member)6)Biju(Ward member)7)Shaji Nateshan(Ward member)
1)Sadanandan2)Vijayamma3)Bhargavi4)Sasi5)Sivankutty6)Mohanan
AgricultureTo know about the various agricultural practices
& problems associated with
it1)Sathyan2)Krishnan3)Govindan4)Christy5)Janaki6)Joseph
EducationTo Gain insights into various Educational facilities
available in the panchayat & the problems associated with
itHeadmistress & staff of Government Lower Primary School,
Kavalam
Headmaster & staff of Government Upper Primary School,
Kavalam
Natural ResourcesTo get a better understanding on available
natural resources & to know about the contrainsts in the access
of thoses
resources1)Devassia2)Johnson3)Ravindran4)Chellappan5)Kuttan6)Kochouseph
KudumbashreeTo know about the operation of Kudambashree in the
panchayat and its socio economic and political impacts on the woman
in the villageKudumbashree MembersGirijakumari, Mini, Sarasamma,
Eshwariamma, Ushakumari, Asha, Beena, Rathi, Valsala, Kunjumani
HealthTo know about the Health Issues faced by the people in the
village & various health facilities available in the
villageMedical Officer & Staff of PHC
Murukan, Neelakandan, Achyuthan,David, Maya, Reshmi,
Janakiamma,Vani
Annexure 3: Household Details of Five Poor FamiliesSr
No12345
NameKuttan PillaiRamanDevassiaAzhakeshanSivanandan
Age5844705249
CasteGeneralSCOBCOBCGeneral
OccupationAgricultural LabourManual LabournilToddy
TapplerAgricultural Labour
Adult Members
M21312
F22221
0-2 YearsM00100
F00000
3-5 YearsM00101
F10201
6-18 YearsM01000
F11100
Total Family Members651035
Children not going to school00000
12 year girls not educated00000
House Details
House TypeSemi PuccaSemi PuccaPuccaSemi PuccaPucca
ElectricityYesYesYesYesYes
SanitationYesYes(Bad Conditions)Yes(Bad Conditions)YesYes
Land Holding
Irrigated5 centsNoNoNo7 cents
Non Irrigated15 cents10 cents15 cents12 cents11 cents
Total Land20 cents10 cents15 cents12 cents18 cents
Animal
Cow0000o
Goat1010o
Hen02103
Total12003
Television setYesNoNoNoYes
MigrationNoNoYesNoNo
Sr No12345
NameSadasivanKoshy CherianChandranBabuJoy
Age6853655040
CasteOBCGeneralOBCSCGeneral
OccupationFarmerTeacherBusinessKSEB officeCarpenter
Adult Members
M31221
F32221
0-2 YearsM00000
F00000
3-5 YearsM10001
F10001
6-18 YearsM21000
F00100
Total Family Members104544
Children not going to school00000
12 year girls not educated00000
House Details
House TypeDouble Storeyed Modern Single Storeyed Traditional
house( Tharavadu)Modern Single Storeyed Double Storeyed
ElectricityYesYesYesYesYes
SanitationYesYesYesYesYes
Land Holding
Irrigated2 acres80 cents2.5 acres70 cents60 cents
Non Irrigated - - - - -
Total Land2 acres80 cents2.5 acres70 cents60 cents
Animal
Cow2000o
Goat1000o
Hen54003
Total84003
Television setYesYesYesYesYes
MigrationYesNoYesNoNo
VehiclesTwo Wheeler21111
Four Wheeler21310
Annexure 4: Household Details of Five Non Poor Families
Annexure 5: Services and Opportunities Map of Kavalam
Figure 6 Source: Informal Interviews
Annexure 6: Case Study 1
Kudumbashree: Scripting Success stories for womenJessis success
story is very inspiring. There was a time in her life when she
lived in a small house without even basic facilities. Today she has
a double storeyed house with all modern facilities.Earlier she used
to walk long distances but now she owns a carShe studied till 10th
class due to poverty .But her daughter is now studying for MBBS.All
this changes happened just because of Kudumbashree. Her Husband
Josekutty died in 2000. At that time her daughter was only 6 years
old. They had only a small single bedroom house without even basic
facilities. Her life was at crossroads. When first Kudumbashree
unit was started in Kavalam in 2001, she joined as a member in it.
It was during one of the meetings she got idea of collective
farming. So she along with 2 other members- Lincy , Sheeba decided
to give a try. They leased 10 acres of land & did paddy
cultivation. Krishibhavan gave them seeds at subsidized rate &
they took loan from bank & from Kudumbashree.They took advice
from others to do farming. After the 1st harvest they sold the rice
& were able to clear the debt. So this gave them confidence
& next year they leased 18 acres of land. This time also they
made a good profit. So they started making profit like 1 lakh every
year. They also cultivated vegetables & started making profit
from them also.Now they own about 15 acres of land with their
profit in lakhs. Last year they made about 15 lakhs from farming
with each person earning a profit of about 1 lakh.Jessi proudly
says that she owns a car, a two storeyed house and can provide all
good facilies for her daughter. She is very happy to see that her
daughter is experiencing a life which she dreamt during her younger
days.Jessi is just one success story among thousands. There are
thousands of Jessis in Kerala scripting success stories just
because of Kudumbashree.
ALCOHOL RUIN FAMILIESSuja is a 25 year old woman working in a
medical shop in Kavalam. She is the sole breadwinner of her family
which includes her mother & her sister who is studying in 11th
class. Her father died 2 years ago. Her house is at mortgage in one
of the banks. She is facing all these problems because of one sole
reason Alcoholism.Her father was a fisherman. He was a big
alcoholic. He used to beat his wife and 2 daughters after consuming
alcohol. He spent all the money he earned on alcohol. He took a
loan from a bank with house as collateral for buying a boat. But
due to his alcohol consumption he could not make any savings. He
died after being hit by a train. He was under the influence of
alcohol at the time of the accident.Now Suja has to look after
household expenses and her sisters education expense with her
minimal monthly salary of 3500 rupees. Also she has to repay loan
amount. She could not find any better job as she studied till 12th
class only.This is not just the case of Suja. There are large
number of families which are ruined by alcoholism.Herb is the
healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction - Bob Marley
Annexure 7: Case Study 2
Annexure 8: Crops
CalendarMonth/CropsJanFebMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugSeptOctNovDec
BananaHSTH
PeaS
TapiocaH
PaddyHS
PaddySTH
Cucumber/ChilliSTHS
Lady fingerH
CoconutAllSeason
S- ShowingH- HarvestingT- Transplanting
Annexure 9: Time-Activity ChartCoconutcollection
Land preparation
Fish cultivation
Rice farmingRice planting
MonthJanFebMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugSeptOctNovDec
Annexure 10: Reflection on Rural Action Component (RAC) Vinayak
Rajeev (35105)Task To prepare a case study on a successful micro
intervention by Kudumbashree in Alappuzha Disrict. I chose
Annapurna Hotel & Catering Unit located at Kandalloor,
Alappuzha IntroductionAnnapurna Hotel & Catering Unit located
at Kandalloor, Alappuzha is a great example of transformation of
five normal housewives to successful & self-confident
entrepreneurs. These five women-Sarasamma, Eshwariyamma, Ambily,
Saraswathy and Prasannakumari earlier had to run their families
utilizing the income earned by their husbands who were the sole
breadwinners of their families. The hotel & Catering service
which they started in 2006 did wonders to their life. Now they are
contributing to their family income and are self-reliant.How they
operateThe major thing which distinguishes Annapurna Hotel from
other hotels in Kandalloor is the homely food which they offer. All
the cooking work is done by these 5 members only. The working time
is 8.30 am -6.00 pm. Every day they prepare meals for 40-50
persons. Fish curry meals and fish fry are also available. They
provide tea and snacks like parippu vada, bonda, uzhunnu vada and
ethaykka appam in the evening. They daily prepare tea on demand and
evening snacks for 70 people. Their regular customers comprises of
people working in nearby offices, shops and also some students
studying in nearby schools. They also give tea and evening snacks
to some nearby shops and offices daily.Their Catering service is
one of the most sought after catering service in Kandalloor.They
take catering orders for a maximum of 800 persons with onsite
preparation. They have utensils and other accessories to prepare
for about 300 people. For bigger orders they take utensils for
rent. These five members cook the food themselves. Husband of
Eshwariyamma helps them in cooking and carrying the utensils if its
a big order. They hire vehicles to carry utensils to work site as
they dont have their own vehicle. They take orders for both
vegetarian (Traditional Kerala sadya) and nonvegitarian meals(Sadya
plus fish/chicken curry as per request).They procure raw materials
required for preparation of food and food will be charged per
plate. The orders which they take includes Hindu wedding sadya,
wedding engagements, housewarming ceremonies, shop inauguration,
functions at panchayath office(including Keralotsavam and onam
sadya), Kandaloor cooperative bank, government schools and also for
Kudumbashrees meetings. Besides Kandalloor Panchayath they also
accept orders from nearby places like Kayamkulam, Muthukulam,
Pathiyoor, Eruva and Kariyilakulangara. The catering charge varies
according to the type of order they get. A normal vegetarian sadya
will cost between 100-120 rupees per person.Mrs Sarasamma is the
elder most member and the leader of this group. Eshwariamma is the
one who looks after accounting and other money matters. She also
looks after the marketing part by trying to get more orders and
also dealing with customers.Saraswathi is the lead cook and she
takes decision regarding what all needed to cook and how. All these
members completed a training course on food processing given by
Extension Training Centre, Kottarakkara.There they were given
training on food preparation, serving, effective management of raw
materials, cleanliness and hygiene. They divide the total earnings
equally among themselves. On an average each members earn between
2500-3000 after deducting the loan expenses and rent expenses.Life
before and after AnnapurnaBefore they started Annapurna, all the
members suffered financial problems. They all came from poor
families and their husbands were the sole breadwinners of their
families. So they had to run their families utilizing the income
earned by their husbands and managing household expenses was always
a big problem. They had to cut down their food expenses in order to
meet the childrens education expenditure and other important
expenditures. It was in the wake of this severe financial crunch,
they started Annapurna and it transformed their life. Economically,
they no longer depend on their husbands income to run their
household. There is a sense of immense pride to them that they are
able to educate their children. Their savings and consumption
expenditure also increased.Annapurna also improved the leadership
qualities among the members. Their family members also started
giving them more respect. Their Self-confidence and self-reliance
also increased. Now they interact more with bankers, Government
officials and others and this has increased their confidence to do
any office work. They are now transacting in banks. The social
horizons of the members have also widened. They have made many
friends and feel that now they are more popular and socially
active.After working together as a group, the members have
developed a sense of bonding among themselves and now they are
living as a family. They can approach each other in case of any
necessity. This is possible only because of
AnnapurnaConclusionAnnapurna Catering unit is just one success
story; there are large number of woman in Kerala now who has
achieved similar level of success like Annapurna Catering Unit
members. It is very heartening to know that these kind of poor
illiterate women are spearheading a silent revolution in a land
where women have been discriminated for generations.
Annexure 11: Reflection on Rural Action Component(RAC)Sushantha
Kumar Das (35099)Rural action component is an interesting
phenomenon which gave us an opportunity to work for our
organisation i.e Kudumbashree. For RAC we were asked to made an
report on the intervention carried out by Kudumbashree through
different micro enterprises to improve the life of women households
as well as to empower them as a whole. We were asked to work on an
curry powder unit which was the part of major intervention carried
out by Kudumbashree on micro enterprises.Gurukulam was a major
curry powder unit operated in the Chingoli region of Alappuzha
district in Kerala. Gurukulam was part of the Micro Enterprise (ME)
intervention by Kudumbashree Usha Kumari one of the members of the
Neighbourhood group (NHG), known as the Ayalkootam owned a mill. As
one of the member of NHG, M/s Kumari was advised by the Community
Development Societies (CDS) members of Kudumbashree to start
producing curry powder in her own mill.Gurukulam started operating
in the year 2009.M/s Kumari along with another 4 members of the
Ayalkootam was responsible for the functioning of Gurukulam.
Started with an initial fund of 1500Rs initially they started
making Rice flour, chilli powder and turmeric.Started with a
moderately low investment Gurukulam started producing products in a
small scale where they have to hand pack the things they produced
in plain covers to make it saleable in the local market.Part of
Kudumbashrees initiative towards women empowerment which deals with
Micro Enterprises and their Marketing, the members of Gurukulam
were guided about various subsidy schemes offered by Kudumbashree
for development in the same sector. The members were further guided
through an Entrepreneurship Training Programme in which they were
enlightened about the various schemes, team work, and coordination
and about loan disbursement and repayment of the same. Conducted by
the NRO for 2 days these programme gave the women an insight view
of the functioning of these units.
Annexure 12: Reflection on Rural Action Component(RAC)Akhil G
(P35008)Task To study a successful Micro Enterprise Intervention by
Kudumbashree in Alappuzha district, Kerala.
Nutrimix: An ME intervention by Kudumashree
Kudumbashree has played a major role in uplifting the
socio-economic status of women across Kerala. The Microenterprise
interventions of Kudumbashree have helped women secure a job which
in turn has provided them with a stable income and also a means to
come out of poverty and stand on their feet. The case taken for the
RAC study was one such ME intervention by Kudumbashree named
Nutrimix in Aryad Panchayat of Alappuzha district. This particular
enterprise activity makes baby food supplements for children of the
age group of 6 months 3 years and is one among the 14 units that
started their functioning in the district in the year 2006.The
women in Aryad Panchayat were mostly unemployed and they involved
themselves in household works. They neither had a chance nor
guidance to look out for a job outside and their life got
restricted to the four walls of their house. Thus most of the
households in the Panchayat were dependent on the income earned by
the men in the family and the women had a low social as well as
economic status. The single source of income in a family was not
sufficient enough for the daily needs of all its members. The
families never had financial stability and the situation worsened
in the case of alcoholism by men. The woman here thus understood
the importance of a job and attributes her unemployment to the
patriarchal society and the lack of awareness about the importance
of education to girls in olden days. In this scenario it was
Kudumbashrees Neighbourhood Help Groups (NHG) and Thozhil
Samrambham that helped them equip themselves for a job and a
sustainable livelihood. Kudumbashree identified the assured market
provided by Nutrimix as a means of steady income for the less
educated women and provided them the necessary help to start their
unit. Ponnus Amrutham Food Supplement Unit, Aryad Panchayat,
Alappuzha DistrictThe case discussed here is about the Nutrimix
unit named Ponnus Amrutham Food Supplement Unit at Aryad Panchayat
and it has evolved out from four different 5 member units which had
started their functioning in the year 2005. The CDS chairperson at
that time, Mrs. Ponamma Sasikumar played a key role in bringing up
interested women for the enterprise activity and Mr. Sathya
Prakash, ADMC, Alappuzha District on the other hand helped the
co-ordinator of Thozhil Samrabham in the district mission to get in
touch with the Social Welfare Department (SWD) for an assurance for
orders for the units. The scheme of providing a building for women
self-employment units in every Panchayat in Mararikulam mandalam by
Dr. Thomas Issac, MLA Alappuzha Constituency had helped the
clustered Nutrimix units to get a building for starting their
enterprise activity in the year 2006. The Nutrimix clustered unit
thus formed in the year 2006 at Aryad has changed the lives of
women in the Panchayat in different aspects. The women now do have
a say in the family matters as they bring in money for looking
after the household needs. They have also become independent in
catering their personal needs and have also gained confidence in
themselves in dealing with the outside world matters.Business
EnvironmentThe ICDS scheme of SWD is primarily aimed at early
childhood development and the Supplementary Nutrition package in
the scheme has one of its objectives as providing 3.375 kg of food
supplement to a baby who is 6 months 3 years old and who is
underweight. The SWD thus gives baby food supplement order to
Nutrimix and the unit makes the product and supplies it to
Anganwadi for free. The Nutrimix unit at Aryad supplies their
product to a total of 153 Anganwadis across 4 sectors (a sector is
a group of Anganwadis in a single Panchayat).
Sector/PanchayatNo: of Anganwadis
Aryad27
Mohamma27
Marrarikulam South51
Manancheri48
Total: 153
Table1: The sectors and their respective number of Anganwadis to
which the Nutrimix unit at Aryad supplies their product.
The order from each Anganwadi depends on the fund allotted by
SWD to an Anganwadi. The Anganwadi Supervisor in turn decides the
number of children who needs to be given the baby supplement based
on the fund provided. The Anganwadi Supervisors of a sector holds a
sector meeting and finalises the net order that the sector needs to
place in the Nutrimix Unit and the order is placed within the
second week of a month. The unit delivers the order usually by 28th
of that month. On an average the Nutrimix Unit at Aryad receives an
order of 5000 kg a month and it increases to 6000 kg during March
when the carry forwarded SWD fund from previous months gives more
fund to Anganwadi Supervisors.The total number of members in the
Nutrimix Unit now at Aryad is 16 with 4 members out for long leaves
for various reasons. The current strength of 16 members itself is
in excess as they need only 10 members for the current operation of
making food supplements for an average order of 5000 kg per month.
Hence the 16 members work in alternate days and a single working
day is taken as 2 days together. Thus the members in effect works
only for the half the period in a month and hence the unit has
future plans for making other products for working in the other
half of the month. The seller named Kin Establishment, Kayamkulam
provides raw materials other than wheat flour to all the 14 units
in Alappuzha district. Wheat flour is provided by FCI. The cover
for packing is brought from Metricways, Thrissur District.
The Nutrimix unit delivers the product at Anganwadis and the
payment for the same is given to them in the form of drafts by SWD.
The average monthly salary received by a member in the Nutrimix
Unit at Aryad is Rs. 4000. The auditing is done by Kudumbashree
Auditing Society. The details of the Nutrimix Units functioning
like daily attendance, raw materials purchases, orders placed and
delivered and the cash related details are all maintained in
registers at Aryad. A total of 27 registers is maintained in the
unit and every member of the unit handles one or two registers.The
quality check of the baby food produced used to be done every month
under the direction of the District Consortium by sending a sample
of the units product to an institute at Chennai by the Child
Development Programme Officer (CDDO), an officer above the
Anganwadi Supervisors. The consistency in making good quality baby
food has now removed the need for a quality check. Apart from the
quality check there is always regular supervision and monthly
inspection of the unit by different departments like SWD, Health
Dept, Legal Metrology, District Consortium and Anganwadi
Supervisors.
Issues faced by the OrganizationThe major issues faced by the
Nutrimix unit during the implementation of their ME activities at
Aryad are as follows:1) High cost of raw materialsThe production
cost has increased considerably with an increase in the price of
the raw materials.
2) Delayed payment of delivered ordersTimely payment of the
sales does not happen in all deliveries. In certain cases, SWD
delays the payment for a particular Anganwadi or even a sector by a
month and this in turn makes it difficult for the unit to purchase
raw materials for the next order and also in repayment of loan. In
such situations, the unit passes an OD from bank or the members
sell their gold and maintain the functioning of the unit for the
consequent orders. At the same time Kudumbashree also puts pressure
on SWD to make the payment as soon as possible.
3) Transportation expense for small orders to neighbouring
sectorsThe unit delivers the product to 4 sectors and when the
order to a distant sector is in low quantity, the transportation
expense for the same increases the overall cost and thereby
reducing the profitability.
4) Limitation of making only a single productThe number of
members in the unit is in excess for producing a monthly order of
5000 kg. Thus they work in alternate days and ultimately end up
working only for half of the month.
5) Limitation of catering only a single marketThe women are not
familiar with marketing products outside the Anganwadis.
Impacts of the InterventionThe major impacts of the ME
activities of Nutrimix in the lives of women at Aryad are as
follows:1) Income generatedThe women gained a steady source of
income with the Nutrimix unit and they were getting money for their
household needs, personal needs and also for their childrens
education.
2) Change in lifestyleThe Nutrimix unit in a way became a tie up
of 20 families within the Panchayat and the women now starting
knowing about each and every happening in their Panchayat. They
also started discussing about news and the happenings around the
world and in this way increased their general knowledge. Thus each
of their lives got evolved from a four wall restricted life to a
much more open one now.
3) Opport