VILLAGE: Kavalam
BLOCK PANCHAYAT: Velliyanad
THALUK: Kuttanad
DISTRICT: Alappuzha
STATE: Kerala
Submitted by:
Akhil G (P35008)
Sushanta Kumar Das (P35099)
Vinayak Rajeev (P35105)
Contents
1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................. 9
1.1 Objective of the study..................................................................................9
1.2 Scope of the study........................................................................................ 9
1.3 Methodology............................................................................................... 10
1.3.1 Primary sources of data collection........................................................10
1.3.2 Secondary Sources............................................................................... 11
2. INTRODUCTION TO KAVALAM...........................................................................11
2.1 Location & Access....................................................................................... 11
2.2 Agro-climatic Conditions............................................................................. 12
2.2.1 Rainfall................................................................................................. 12
2.2.2 Temperature......................................................................................... 13
2.2.3 Topography........................................................................................... 13
2.3 Natural Resources....................................................................................... 13
3. VILLAGE SOCIETY............................................................................................. 13
3.1 Population................................................................................................... 13
3.2 Literacy and Level of Education..................................................................14
3.3 Caste and Religion...................................................................................... 15
3.4 Culture........................................................................................................ 15
3.5 Food............................................................................................................ 16
4. VILLAGE INFRASTRUCTURE.............................................................................. 17
4.1 Transport.................................................................................................... 17
4.1.1 Roads................................................................................................... 17
4.1.2 Railways............................................................................................... 17
4.1.3 Waterways............................................................................................ 17
4.2 Communication.......................................................................................... 17
4.2.1 Telecommunication...............................................................................17
4.2.2 Post Office............................................................................................ 17
4.2.3 Internet................................................................................................. 18
4.2.4 Mass Media........................................................................................... 18
4.3 Electricity.................................................................................................... 18
4.4 Market........................................................................................................ 19
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4.5 Education.................................................................................................... 19
4.5.1 Anganwadi............................................................................................ 19
4.5.2 School................................................................................................... 20
4.5.3 College................................................................................................. 22
4.6 Health......................................................................................................... 22
4.6.1 PHC....................................................................................................... 22
4.6.2 Sanitation............................................................................................. 23
4.6.3 Drinking Water..................................................................................... 23
4.6.4 Government Ayurvedic Hospital...........................................................23
4.6.5 Homeopathic Dispensary.....................................................................24
4.6.6 Veterinary Hospital...............................................................................24
5. VILLAGE INSTITUTIONS.................................................................................... 24
5.1 Government Institutions.............................................................................24
5.1.1 Krishi Bhavan....................................................................................... 24
5.2 Community Institutions.............................................................................. 25
5.2.1 Kudumbashree..................................................................................... 25
5.2.2 Kakka Co-operative Society..................................................................25
6. VILLAGE LIVELIHOODS..................................................................................... 26
6.1 Asset Base Available To People...................................................................26
6.1.1 Human Asset........................................................................................ 26
6.1.2 Natural Asset........................................................................................ 26
6.1.3 Financial Asset...................................................................................... 26
6.1.4 Social Assets........................................................................................ 26
6.1.5 Personal Assets.................................................................................... 26
6.1.6 Organizational Assets...........................................................................27
6.1.7 Physical Asset....................................................................................... 27
6.2 Vulnerability Context.................................................................................. 27
7. VILLAGE ECONOMY.......................................................................................... 28
7.1 Agriculture.................................................................................................. 29
7.2 Service sector............................................................................................. 31
7.3 Toddy Shops............................................................................................... 31
7.4 Middle East Income.................................................................................... 31
7.5 Labour........................................................................................................ 31
7.6 Money and finance..................................................................................... 32
8. VILLAGE POLITY............................................................................................... 32
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List of Tables
Table 1 - Profile of Kavalam...........................................................................12
Table 2 Gender Ratio...................................................................................14
Table 3 Literacy Rate ..................................................................................15
Table 4 Electricity Infrastructure Details......................................................18
Table 5 Types of shops and their frequencies...............................................19
Table 6 Government Lower Primary School details.....................................20
Table 7 Government Upper Primary School details......................................21
Table 8 Little Flower Higher Secondary School Details...............................21
Table 9 Schools outside Kavalam and their distances ..................................22
Table 10 Colleges outside Kavalam and their distances.................................22
Table 11PHC details....23
Table 12Area wise distribution of crops.30
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List of Figures
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List of Annexures
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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
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1. INTRODUCTION
Kavalam, 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.
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1.3 Methodology
To 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.
Sources of
Data
Secondary
Sources
Primary
Sources
Question
naire
Surveys
Focus Group
Discussions
Observation
Semi
structured
Interview
Governmen
t Institution
Records
Non
Governmen
t
Institution
Records
Informal 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.
Observations
These 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.
Village Panchayat
Schools
Krishi bhavan
Anganwadi
Post office
Veterinary hospitals
PHC
Kudumbashree office
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2. INTRODUCTION TO KAVALAM
2.1 Location & Access
Kavalam 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 profile
Kavalam
13
Kavalam
Veliyanad
Kuttanad
Alappuzha
Kazhiyoormangalam
PulimooduUchethara Canal
Attumukham-Kurishu Canal
Vandakapally Canal
Mavelikkara
Kuttanad
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3. VILLAGE SOCIETY
3.1 Population
Kavalam 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-2
Religion wise Population Distribution
Figure-3
Caste wise Population Distribution
Kavalam 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.
Place
Kavalam
Alappuzha
Page | 13
Gender Ratio
1035
1100
Kerala
Place
India
Kavalam
Alappuzha
Kerala
India
1084
Males
933
98.54
97.36
96.08
82.14
Literacy Rate
Females
96.94
94.24
92.34
65.46
Total
97.72
95.72
93.91
74.04
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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.
Page | 15
3.5 Food
Staple 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 INFRASTRUCTURE
4.1 Transport
4.1.1 Roads
A 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 pass
4.1.2 Railways
The 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 Waterways
Waterways 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
Page | 16
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 Communication
4.2.1 Telecommunication
Mobile 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.
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 Electricity
The 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 Transformers
27
Number of shops
7
4
1
6
5
1
2
1
7
3
1
3
1
4.5 Education
4.5.1 Anganwadi
There 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:
4.5.2 School
Government primary school
The 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 Details
Boys
I
6
II
13
Page | 19
III
16
IV
6
Total
41
Girls
4
1
7
6
18
Total
10
14
23
12
59
B
3
3
5
1
0
1
9
1
9
1
0
6
9
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SC
OEC
Christian
Hindu
Nair
OBC
G
6
6
8
9
T
9
9
13
19
B
0
0
0
0
G
0
0
1
0
T
0
0
1
0
B
0
0
1
1
G
3
1
1
3
T
3
1
2
4
B
0
0
0
0
G
0
1
0
0
T
0
1
0
0
B
1
0
0
0
G
0
0
1
1
T
1
0
1
1
B
2
3
4
9
G
3
4
5
5
T
5
7
9
14
24
11
1
2
1
2
5
8
31
15
22
1
0
1
0
5
13
127 6
1
4
1
6
3
0
4
3
3
1
74
706
361
345
40
27
13
105
Others
Changanacherry 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.
Location
Thengana,
Changanacherry
Kilimala,
Changanacherry
Changanacherry
Changanacherry
Distance
15 Km
Lissio
5 km
19 Km
14 Km
12 Km
3 Km
8 Km
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 distances
College
Distance
Engineering
5 Km
College,Pulinkunnu
Government
Medical 25 Km
College, Kottayam
T.D
Medical
College, 32 Km
Alappuzha
B
Ed
Training 6 Km
Centre,Kunnumma
St Berchmans College , 13 Km
Changanacherry
Kristu Jyothi College for Arts 15 Km
& Visual Media
(Source: Informal Interview, Kavalam)
4.6 Health
4.6.1 PHC
PHC is located near to the Panchayath office.
Number
1
1
1
1
1
2
Inspector
Junior
Public
Health Nurse
Clerk
Office Attendant
Nursing Assistant
Hospital Attendant
5
1
2
1
1
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:
4.6.2 Sanitation
Sanitation 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 Water
Drinking 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.
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5. VILLAGE INSTITUTIONS
5.1 Government Institutions
5.1.1 Krishi Bhavan
Krishi 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
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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 Society
The 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.
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6. VILLAGE LIVELIHOODS
6.1 Asset Base Available To People
6.1.1 Human Asset
Kavalam 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 Asset
The 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 Asset
Major 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 nonbanking 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 Assets
People 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 communities
6.1.5 Personal Assets
People 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
Page | 26
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 Assets
Kudumbashree 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 Asset
The 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 Context
The 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.
Page | 27
7. VILLAGE ECONOMY
In 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.
17
3
44
36
Agriculture
Page | 28
Service
Middle East
Others
Primar
y
Agricult
ure
Constru
ction
Secondary
laborers
Fishing,Cattle
rearing, Toddy
tapping
Tertiary
Restaurants, bakeries, stationary shops, Toddy
shops, tailoring
Quaternary
Middle east
Page | 29
Crop
Paddy
Coconut
Banana
Vegetables
Cocoa
Fruits Plants
Pepper
Arecanut
Others
1322
250
100
8
1
15
5
5
6
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.
7.5 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.
Page | 31
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
Page | 32
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 INSIGHTS
9.1 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 village
2. To evaluate the coping mechanisms used for sustenance
3. 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:
Page | 33
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.
Page | 35
REFERENCES
ANNEXURES
Page | 36
Activity
Wake up and get ready for the day
Breakfast
Go to work
Take rest & have snacks with tea
Resume work again
Lunch & rest time
Resume work
Snacks with tea
Resume work again
Comes back home
Sleep for some time
Go out to buy something which is
needed in house or to meet friends or
relatives
8.30 pm
Dinner
9.30 pm
Sleep
Source: Informal interview & Group discussion with various agricultural labourers
Daily activity schedule of a Housewife
Time
5.00 am
5.30 am-6.30 am
7.00 am
7.30 am-8.30 am
9.00 am
10.00 am
10.30 am -12.30 pm
1.00 pm
1.00 pm- 2.00 pm
2.00 pm-3.30 pm
3.30 pm-4.00 pm
6.00 pm
6.30 pm-8.00 pm
8.30 pm
10.00 pm
Activity
Wake up and bath
Prepare food
Breakfast
Prepare children for school
Take rest for sometime
Buy fish
Prepare food for lunch
Lunch
Sleep for sometime
Gossiping with neighbours or indulge
in activities of Kudumbashree
Prepare tea & snacks
Prayer time
TV serials
Dinner
Sleep
Agenda of Discussion
Political History
Particulars
Participants
To know about the political 1)Omanakuttan (PanchayatPresident)
practices in Kavalam and the 2)Sikhivahanan(Panchayat Secretary)
various past trends
3)Asha Ajith(Ward member)
4)Molammma(Ward member)
5)Vijayalekshmi(Ward member)
6)Biju(Ward member)
7)Shaji Nateshan(Ward member)
1)Sadanandan
2)Vijayamma
3)Bhargavi
4)Sasi
5)Sivankutty
6)Mohanan
Agriculture
Education
Natural Resources
Kudumbashree
Health
Page | 38
Kudumbashree Members
Girijakumari, Mini, Sarasamma,
Eshwariamma, Ushakumari, Asha,
Beena, Rathi, Valsala, Kunjumani
Medical Officer & Staff of PHC
Murukan, Neelakandan, Achyuthan,
David, Maya, Reshmi, Janakiamma,
Vani
4
Azhakeshan
52
OBC
Toddy
Tappler
1
5
Sivanandan
49
General
Agricultural
Labour
2
0
0
0
1
0
1
6
0
0
0
0
1
1
5
1
0
1
2
0
1
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
1
1
0
0
5
Semi Pucca
Semi Pucca
Pucca
Semi Pucca
Pucca
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Sanitation
Yes
Yes
5 cents
Yes(Bad
Conditions)
No
Yes
Irrigated
Yes(Bad
Conditions)
No
No
7 cents
Non
Irrigated
Total
Land
Cow
15 cents
10 cents
15 cents
12 cents
11 cents
20 cents
10 cents
15 cents
12 cents
18 cents
Goat
Hen
Total
1
0
1
0
2
2
1
1
0
0
0
0
o
3
3
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Adult
Members
0-2 Years
3-5 Years
6-18
Years
Total Family
Members
1
Kuttan Pillai
58
General
Agricultural
Labour
2
2
Raman
44
SC
Manual
Labour
1
M
F
M
F
M
F
Land
Holding
Animal
Television set
Migration
Page | 39
3
Devassia
70
OBC
nil
Sr No
Name
1
Sadasivan
3
Chandran
4
Babu
5
Joy
68
OBC
Farmer
3
2
Koshy
Cherian
53
General
Teacher
1
Age
Caste
Occupation
Adult
M
Members
F
65
OBC
Business
2
50
SC
KSEB office
2
40
General
Carpenter
1
M
0-2 Years F
M
3-5 Years F
6-18
M
F
Years
Total Family
Members
0
0
1
1
2
0
10
0
0
0
0
1
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
1
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
1
1
0
0
4
Double
Storeyed
Traditional
house( Thar
avadu)
Yes
Modern
Single
Storeyed
Yes
Double
Storeyed
Yes
Modern
Single
Storeyed
Yes
Yes
2 acres
Yes
80 cents
Yes
2.5 acres
Yes
70 cents
Yes
60 cents
Land
Holdin
g
Anima
l
Sanitation
Irrigated
Non
Irrigated
Total
Land
Cow
2 acres
80 cents
2.5 acres
70 cents
60 cents
Goat
Hen
Total
1
5
8
0
4
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
o
3
3
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Television set
Migration
Page | 40
Yes
Two
Wheeler
Four
Wheeler
Vehicle
s
Krishi
Bhavan
100 m
Police
Station
8 km
Pulinkunu
Kudumba
shree
Office
0 km
Railway
Station
13 km
Engineeri
ng
College
5 km
Airport
112 km
Kavalam
Primary
School
200 m
Govt
Hospital
28 km
Upper
Primary
School
400 m
Bank
500 m
Veterinar
y
Hospital
2 km
Panchaya
t Office
0 km
Akshaya
Centre
300 m
Bank
800 m
Figure 6
Source: Informal Interviews
Page | 41
Page | 43
Month/Crops
Jan
Banana
Fe
b
Marc
h
Apri
l
Ma
y
Jun
e
Au
g
July
Sep
t
Oc
t
No
v
De
c
H
Pea
Tapioca
Paddy
Paddy
Cucumber/Chill
i
S
S
Lady finger
Coconut
All
Seaso
n
S- Showing
H- Harvesting
T- Transplanting
collection
Land
preparation
Fish
cultivation
Rice farming
Mont
h
Ja
n
Page | 44
Fe
b
March
Apri
l
Rice planting
May
June
Jul
y
Au
g
Sep
t
Oc
t
Nov
De
c
Page | 45
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 Annapurna
Before 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 Annapurna
Conclusion
Annapurna 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.
Page | 46
Page | 47
Page | 48
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 Environment
The 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/Panchayat
Aryad
Mohamma
Marrarikulam South
Manancheri
No: of Anganwadis
27
27
51
48
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
Page | 49
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.
The 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 product
The 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 market
The women are not familiar with marketing products outside the Anganwadis.
The key factors that led to the success of the ME activities of Nutrimix at Aryad are as
follows:
1) The assured marked of ICDS
The product made by the Nutrimix unit always had a market for sale in ICDS. Hence
the activity has an assurance for sustainability in income generation for its members.
2) Co-operation and dedication by the women workers
The women came out from a position where they did not enjoy any social and
economic status and hence knew the importance of the job in hand. Hence the women
workers always gave their 100% in all the activities they performed in this micro
enterprise.
Summary
The case presented here initially highlighted the main issue of unemployment of women at
Aryad Panchayat, Alappuzha District and the reason for the same was attributed to the low
level of education received by them due to the unawareness of the importance of education to
girls in olden days. Their inability to get a job and thereby a steady source of income made
them enjoy a low social and economic status and eventually their lives got restricted to
household works. The Kudumbashrees ME intervention of Nutrimix was a breakthrough and
it did have an impact in the lives of women by providing them with a job and a sustainable
livelihood. The intervention faced lot of issues while implementing the ME activity and the
main issue of Increasing cost of raw materials can be solved by subsidising the raw
materials or increasing the price of the baby food produced. The unit also needs to explore
options of producing other food products and the members needs to get training in marketing
their products outside Anganwadis. The unit needs to set a minimum threshold for the orders
from distant sectors for increasing their profitability over transportation cost.
The future of the Nutrimix unit can see more improvements if they come out of the system of
making only a single product and catering only to a single market. More improvements can
complete dependency on a single line of product can only sustain if the quality of the baby
food produced overrides all other similar products in the market and its price both acceptable
for SWD and profitable for the workers of the unit, which is quite difficult in the long run.
1start making other products and start exploring other markets.
Page | 52