MRGINALISATION AND DEPRIVATION MARGINALISATION AND DEPRIVATION STUDIES ON MULTIPLE VULNERABILITIES KERALA INSTITUTE OF LOCAL ADMINISTRATION (KILA) is an autonomous institution of Department of Local Self Government, under the Ministry of Local Administration, Government of Kerala. As the nodal agency for the capacity building of local governments, the objective of the Institute is to undertake training, research and consultancy in matters relating to local governance and development. Apart from conducting training programmes for the local governments, within and outside the State, the Institute conducts workshops, seminars and conferences for sharing the experience of Kerala in democratic decentralisation and for learning from others for the purpose of policy making. MARGINALISATION AND DEPRIVATION STUDIES ON MULTIPLE VULNERABILITIES Editors P.P. Balan Sunny George T.P. Kunhikannan This book is the publication of selected papers presented in the International Conference on Marginalisation, Poverty and Decentralisation, 19-22 November 2016, conducted by Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA). MARGINALISATION AND DEPRIVATION STUDIES ON MULTIPLE VULNERABILITIES Editors P.P. Balan Sunny George T.P. Kunhikannan Published by Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) Mulamkunnathukavu, Thrissur, Kerala - 680 581 Tel: +91 487 2207000 Fax: +91 487 2201062 Director: +91 487 2201312, 2207001 www.kilaonline.org November 2016 Cover Designing: Rajesh Thanikudam ISBN 978-93-84557-84-3 Price Rs.500/- Printed at Co-operative Press Mulamkunnathukavu Tel: 0487-2200391, 9895566621 Dedicated to S.M. Vijayanand PREFACE The plight of the labouring poor in India is still in a pitiable condition. The National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector set up by the Government of India, in has drawn much public attention to this state of affairs. The findings of the Commission was revealing and shocking. At the outset, it is pointed out that 86 per cent of the total work force in India, is in the informal sector. But, at the same time they contribute 45 per cent to the GDP. Self employment based on a wage at piece rate still dominate in the production sector. With the onslaught of the neoliberal policies, causalisation of labour has almost became the order of the day. Informal sector workers are basically poor and vulnerable, and belong to the lower strata of the social hierarchy based on caste and religion. They become victims of double burden both economically and socially. Corroborating with this, in the informal sector, sizeable proportion are women and majority of them belongs to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Since this sector lacks reliable and efficient enactment of labour laws, they are not in a position to bargain with their so-called “masters”. To address these pitiable condition and to lower the scale of multiple vulnerabilities, the Government of India had initiated different types of rights based legislations and related activities. Very recently, the International Food Policy Research Institute had released its Global Hunger Index (GHI). It is a composite index and prepared on the basis of components like undernourishment, child mortality, and stunting. India was ranked 97 from a list of 118 underdeveloped countries, where the score and vulnerability of hunger go in the same direction. Apart from these national scenario, the world itself is heading towards an epochal crisis, because of the simultaneous occurrence of the world economic crisis and world ecological Preface / !viii crisis. The former is leading to a secular stagnation in the world over and the latter manifests as climate change. Both of then will lead to a chain reaction in the economy and society. The marginalised and poverty ridden people are the worst affected by these, and the world is recognised that decentralisation is one of the areas that stood as a potential resistance in reducing multiple vulnerability of the people at large. It was in this background that the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Government of Kerala, prepared to conduct an international conference on Marginalisation, Poverty and Decentralisation. The present volume is an outcome of the said conference, held during 19-22 November 2016. The Conference aimed to deliberate the issues of Marginalisation, Poverty and Decentralisation, across the world. It also deliberated on lessons that local self government institutions, states and countries can learn from Kerala’s democratic decentralisation experiments. It also aimed at to make a common platform for discussion on the programmes for poverty alleviation being practiced in Kerala and its impacts on marginalisation. The present volume comprises of 14 chapters, fully devoted to the issues of marginalisation, livelihood and poverty; giving special emphasis to the state of the tribals, dalits and adivasis within India and abroad. Three chapters are focusing issues at abroad and ten from different states of India; especially the backward states. There is one chapter from Kerala, that addresses a livelihood issue of the state, i.e., drinking water. First chapter contains the inaugural address of Jaleel which provides an overall context of the international conference on ‘marginalisation, poverty and decentralisation’, the basis of which this volume is developed. He underline the importance of democratic decentralisation and participatory planning in the process of inclusive sustainable development. Second chapter by Elain et. al. discusses the importance of a housing programme (PAC) being practiced in the Southern Brazil. The paper aims to provide issues to figure out whether the Growth Acceleration Programme (PAC) has made an effective contribution to the social inclusion of the affected population. In the second chapter, the issues of allocative Preface / !ix efficiency as an end of decentralisation at the local level in Ghana is addressed. The author of chapter three, Dick-Sagoe from Ghana, serves in India, as a doctoral fellow in the Veer Narmad South University, in Surat. The chapter focuses on the financial ability of sub-national government to provide their tailer-made goods and services which meet the preferences of the Sowal Citizen in Ghana. The fourth chapter by ChoforChe explains the experience of decentralisation in Camaroon. The central question that the paper raises is, does the decentralised system under the Camaroon constitution of 1996, provide adequately for the accommodation of ethnic diversity of the country. The paper seeks to analyse the process historically. Mita Yasyca from the Women’s Study Centre in Indonesia examines India’s micro finance practices as part of the current global trend of financialisation of the poor in chapter five. The author bring up post-structuralisation approach gives us a theoretical understanding on how gender underpin money, capital contradictions. The study focusses on the issue of micro finance in the state of Andhra Pradesh. In chapter six, Thamilarasam from the Madras University is trying to depict the socio-cultural practices, income generation activities and marginalisation, etc. The chapter concentrates on the livelihood activities of the Irula tribe of the Nilgiri district in Tamil Nadu. The chapter seven by Ganesha Somayaji, examines the nature of participation of the marginalised people in their socio- economic development. It underscores inclusions in the ST as the only objective of political motivation. The chapter concludes that the efficacy of the state sponsored programmes aimed at amelioration depends on the degree of participation by the people. Bidyut Mohanti on Marginalisation Poverty and Deprivation illustrates the plight of Nayada, the hamlets of the Juanga tribe, one of the most primitive tribes in Odisha in chapter eight. On the basis of field survey the author reiterates that the tribals in Odisha are suffering under multifaceted poverty in spite of the reported growth rate of the state’s economy. Abhish Babu, in chapter nine, based on a field study, explore the reasons for the failure of projects for water supply in Kerala. The study revealed that the new diffusion strategy reinforced Preface / !x the structural imbalances in the society. The socially and economically marginalized people were always either marginalized or excluded from the project. In chapter ten, by Feroze, Ray, Johny and Ram, explores the issues of yak rearing relating to climate change in north Sikkim. The study reveals that the climate is changing, especially temperature is increasing at higher altitude and snowfall has reduced in the study area. It has immense effect on pasture and therefore the migration timing and duration, milk yield, disease infestation and mortality of yaks. The identified the various activities for reducing the impact of the climate change on yak rearing. Tanveer Kaur and Rajeev Kumar, in chapter elevan, describe the story of Parbati hydroelectric project in Beas Valley and highlights the issues relating to rural sustenance. The fragile topography of the mountainous regions of the Valley makes it highly vulnerable to ecological degradation due to the construction activities of such projects. The impact of all these changes adversely affects the local people and they are excluded from availing the benefits of the project. The major beneficiary of the hydroelectric power projects should be, the authors argue, the local communities in terms of job opportunities, rehabilitation schemes, education and health facilities, inter-linking