KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DISTRICT HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT Introduction Kanniyakumari district is the smallest district in Tamil Nadu it is referred to as “Land’s End”. Aralvoimozhi is the most important place, as a pass through which the trunk road from Tirunelveli to Nagercoil enters into Kanniyakumari district from the east. There are five rivers viz., Thamiraparani, Valliyu, Ponnivaikal, Pampoorivaikal and Pazhayar which flow in the Kanniyakumari district and they fulfil the requirements of the district. Kanyakumari district is divided into two revenue divisions viz., Padmanabhapuram and Nagercoil, having headquarters at Thuckalay and Nagercoil respectively. The district is further divided into 4 taluks. The taluks are further divided into 9 blocks, which is further divided into 81 villages. There are four taluks viz., Agasteeswaram, Thovalai, Kalkulam and Vilavancode. The district has been divided into 9 blocks namely Agasteeswaram, Thovalai, Rajakkamangalam, Kurunthencode, Thuckalay, Thiruvattar, Killiyoor, Melpuram and Munchirai. 1 The district has four municipalities viz., Nagercoil, Padmanabhapuram, Colachel and Kuzhithurai. The district consists of 155 Panchayats of which 99 are village panchayats. Geography It has a total area of 1,684 sq. km which is 1.29 percent of the total area of the state. Kanniyakumari district is situated in the southernmost part of the Indian peninsula surrounded by Kerala State in the west and North-West, Tirunelveli district in the North and East, Gulf of Mannar in the South-East, Indian Ocean in the South and Arabian Sea in the South-West. Topography A mountainous terrain which is the north- eastern portion of the district. It includes the northern parts of Vilavancode and Kalkulam taluks. This terrain has a number of admirable hilltops and a continuation of a lofty and broader mountain range in the North. The natural division, which is the fertile seacoast on the South –eastern, southern and south-western parts of the district. Fringed with coconut trees, sandy lowlands, there are a few slightly elevated patches of red cliffs. This division consists of the undulating valleys, the plains between the mountainous 2 terrain and the seacoast and also there are a few streams in this region. In general, Kanniyakumari district slopes gently towards the West Hills Mountains System to which they belong, main peaks, height situation, vegetation, etc: The differences in altitude and climate of the hilly tract of the Kanniyakumari district have made the vegetation of this area greatly varied with characteristic representation of different types of land. The highest hill in the Kanniyakumari district is Mahendragiri (1654.m.) situated in Thovalai taluk on the border of Kanniyakumari and Tirunelveli districts. Soil Condition The soil of Kanyakumari district can be classified into Red Soil, Red lateritic soil, Brown soil and Coastal sand. The soil are mostly in-situ in nature, lateritic, earthy and pale reddish in colour. They are derived from laterisation of gneisses. The soil derived from gneisses is mostly brownish. The thickness of soil in the mounts is almost negligible whereas in the valley it is around 2 m. The lateritic type of soil occurs in Thiruvattar, Munchirai, Kurunthancode, Rajakkamangalam, Killiyur, Thuckalay and Melpuram blocks. 3 The mixed type of Red and alluvial soils, occur in Agastheeswaram and Thovala blocks. The coastal sand occurs in the western side of the district. The coastal alluvium sand is of high fertility. Climate The District has a favourable agro-climatic condition, which is suitable for growing a number of crops. The proximity of equator, its topography and other climate factors favour the growth of various crops. The paddy varieties grown in the second crop season in Thovalai and Agasteeswaram taluks are grown during the first crop season in Kalkulam and Vilavancode taluks. This shows that there is distinct variation in the climatic conditions prevailing within the district. Unlike other districts in Tamil Nadu, it has a rainfall both during the South West and the North East monsoons. The South West monsoon period starts from the month of June and ends in September, While the North East monsoon period starts from October and ends in the middle of December. Status of Human Development The top three blocks in HDI in the district are Thuckalay (0.893), Thiruvattur (0.830) and Agatheeswaram (0.814). 4 The bottom three blocks in the district during 2014 are Melpuram (0.588), Killioor (0.558) and Thovalai (0.511). In Kanniyakumari district, Agateeswaram (0.015) Thovalai (0.022) and Thuckalay (0.22) are the top there blocks with the lowest gender inequality. Killinoor (0.064), Kurunthencode (0.048) and Munchirai (0.043) are the bottom three blocks where gender inequality is the highest. The inter block variation in gender inequality should be overcome by focusing on the three dimensions of health, empowerment and labor. The top three blocks in 2013 in CDI are Thuckalay (0.249) Thiruvattur (0.239) and Agatheeswaram (0.209). The bottom three blocks in 2013 in CDI are Rajakkamangalam (0.146), Killiyoor (0.135) and Thovalai (0.050). While the performance of the district in the health dimension is not so good, in the education dimension, it is really doing well. Of course, the district administration should pay more attention to transition rate from upper primary level to secondary level. On the health front, it should take effective steps to reduce U5MR, to improve child sex ratio and provide proper nutrition to children. The multidimensional poverty index is determined on the basis of health, education and standard of living dimensions. 5 Thuckalay (0.148) Thiruvattar (0.183) and Killiyoor (0.288) are the top three blocks where the multidimensional poverty is less. The blocks with higher multi dimensional poverty are Thovalai (0.552), Agastheeswaram (0.392) and Melpuram (0.362). Employment, Income and poverty The total number of workers in Kanniyakumari district increased from 27.65% of the population in 2001 to 36.34% in 2011. Nearly two thirds of the population come under the category of non – workers, which in a way, shows the flow of income from outside. In recent years, the number of cultivators in the district has decreased and the number of agaricultural workers has increased. Under MGNREGA, 1,10,137 households have been provided jobs. An expenditure of Rs. 2417.2 lakh was incurred during 2013- 14. The percentage of rural and urban workers in the district constituted 38% and 36% respectively in 2011. Out of the total workers in the district in 2011, 56.63 percent were male workers and 16.42 percent were female workers. 6 While the male participation rate decreased from 59.34 in 200l to 57.54 in 2011, the female participations rate increased from 15.10 to 18.42 during the same period in rural areas. The urban male participation rate almost doubled from 36.59 in 2001 to 69.57 in 2011, whereas the female participation rate increased from 8.84 in 2001 to 15.99 in 2011. A shift in agricultural workers to non – farm jobs in cashew factories and fishing net factories is noticed. The district has no child labor due to universal primary and upper primary education and strict monitoring by district administration. The percentage of cultivators in 2011 declined to 0.84% from 2.93% in 2001. The percentage of agricultural labourers declined to 3.90% in 2011 from 10.36% in 2001. The percentage of workers in household industry declined to 1.91% in 2011 from 4.37 in 2001. The percentage of other workers in the district increased to 68.86% in 2011 from 65.72% in 2001. There is a big drop in the registration at the Employment office in Kanniyakumari district from 26846 in 2013 to 15950 in 2014. The contribution of the primary sector to GDDP at constant (2004-05) prices declined from 7.30 % in 2009-10 to 4.61% in 2011-12. 7 The contribution of the secondary sector to the GDDP at constant (2004-05) prices increased from 46.94% in 2009-10 to 49.64% in 2011 – 12. The contribution of tertiary sector to GDDP remained more or less stable; it was 45.76% at constant (2004-05) prices in 2009-10 and it was 45.75% in 2011-12. The sectoral composition of GDDP reveals that secondary and tertiary sectors are the main contributors to Kanniyakumari district economy. The district has witnessed steady increase in per capita income. The per capita income of the district increased from Rs. 42832 in 2004-05 to Rs. 96070 in 2011-12 and it is higher than the per capita income of the State which was Rs. 33998 in 2004-05 and Rs. 63996 in 2011-12. The percentage of households below poverty line (BPL) constituted 15.20% during 2013- 14. Rajakkamangalam has the highest number of BPL households (26.99%) Followed by Munchirai (18.78%). Only 7.57% BPL households are there in Agastheeswaram. All the households in Kanniyakumari district have been provided with family cards. By 2014, the total number of cards issued were 4,83538. The maximum number of households with family cards (1,03,321) are found in 8 Rajakkamangalam because the highest number of BPL households are found in the block. An analysis of employment, income and poverty in Kanniyakumari district reveals that the district has had a steady economic growth It is reflected in the sustained increase in per capita income year after year. It has witnessed increase of urbanization. Poverty and inequality issues have been addressed in the district under MGNREGA and empowerment of women through SHGs. Demography, Health and Nutrition The Population and Demographic Transition Population of Kanniyakumari district in 2011 was 18.7 lakhs. Rajakkamangalam, Karuthancode, Melpuram and Thuckkalay had higher population than other blocks.