Power Sector Reform: Some Lessons for Kerala

Electric power is so vital to both our economic and personal wellbeing that the erstwhile state policy in most of the developing countries, including India, had vested the power industry in the hands of the state as a promotional agency for subsidized supply. However, with the onset of the neo-liberalism in the wake of the fall (of the threat) of socialist alternative, the promotional orientation in the state policy had to give way to efficiency considerations in the sense of a neoclassical market economy. Thus has started the infamous power sector restructuring, the technical term for ultimate privatization. Radical policy changes were legislated in India and so far 13 States have reorganized their power sector; in Orissa, Delhi and Noida in Uttar Pradesh power distribution was entirely privatized. Kerala with a militant trade union presence has so far been dragging her feet, even in the face of the stern legislative requirement, portending an ultimate surrender. In this context the present paper attempts to draw some lessons from actual experiences elsewhere.Power sector; restructuring; privatization; welfare; corruption; Kerala;

Empowering the frailty: dissecting the role of microcredit

The present paper seeks to dissect the significance of micro-credit in empowering women. It starts with a brief discussion on the role of micro-credit in poverty alleviation in general, widely acclaimed in contrast to the top-down policies. The concept of empowerment is defined from different perspectives of power, feminism and personal autonomy in family framework before taking up the agency of micro-credit for analysis. Here we identify three contrasting ‘paradigms’ with different underlying aims and understandings and different policy prescriptions and priorities in relation to both micro-finance itself and to gender policy such as the feminist empowerment paradigm, the poverty alleviation paradigm and the financial self-sustainability paradigm. Though some evaluations paint a positive picture of the impact of credit programs on women's lives in that access to savings and credit can initiate or strengthen a series of interlinked and mutually reinforcing ‘virtuous spirals’ of empowerment, we take care not to ignore the practical difficulties involved. Also considered in this respect is the role of outside agencies in the empowerment process.women empowerment, micro-credit, power, poverty alleviation, family, autonomy

‘One hen’ or ‘a basket of bangles’: women development and micro-credit in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu in India has a glorious tradition of recognizing the importance of empowering women over several centuries. The State fares reasonably well (above the all-India level) in terms of indicators such as female literacy, girls enrollment, female life expectancy, and women’s access to basic amenities. The maternal mortality rates and total fertility rates are also lower than the national average. In terms of political participation, women are faring reasonably well. While the absolute condition of women in Tamil Nadu is better than that in most States, the position of women vis-à-vis men with respect to literacy, education, work force participation, wages, asset-ownership and political participation has not improved. It is recognized that the main obstacles to empowerment has been the low level of educational attainments as well as poverty among women. Taking into account this fact, the Government of Tamil Nadu has framed various policies, designed specific interventions and implemented many programmes to eradicate poverty and to provide education to the vulnerable sections of the society. These different Government-sponsored schemes are implemented through women’s self-help groups. The present paper discusses the experience of Tamil Nadu in women development and micro-credit.Women empowerment, micro-credit, Tamil Nadu, Mahalir Thittam

Evolution of Social Security in the Lap of Public Action: Recounting the Experience of Kerala

This paper is part of a large study on the Social Protection in Rural India and China. In this paper, we attempt at a critical appraisal of the historical development and experience of social security initiatives in Kerala, India. We situate the development experience of Kerala in a conceptual framework of participatory development, which we interpret in a broad context of organization and mobilization of people at specific junctures of historical progress of a society. Thus participatory development, in our view is participation in the progressive process of realization of human rights and thus in development; that is, public action, with an effective public demand and a wiling public supply, conditioned by the legitimate function of the state. It is also attempted to categorize the on-going social security schemes according to the definitional framework of our study, that is, in terms of the definitional division of social security into basic and contingent social security.Social security; Kerala; development; contingency

Raising the ‘Beatrice’s Goat’: The Indian Experience in Microcredit

Empowerment of the poor entails three basic inter-linked dimensions – generation of employment (and income), reduction of poverty, and erasing inequality. The perspective has now undergone a basic change from the collective care mechanism of a paternalistic state intervention meted out from the top to bottom to a people-centered and participation-oriented bottom up approach. With this new perspective, new practices have emerged through integrated community participation of the poor. Thus the basis of the concept of micro finance is self-mobilization and self-organization of the poor at the community level driven by an ardent desire backed by an unfaltering trust in their own inherent capacity to improve their living conditions by themselves, given an enabling environment. An active realization of such self-mobilization is found in self help groups (SHGs), formed for distributing the microcredit benefits, inspired by the success of the Bangladesh Grameen experiment. This approach has already taken strong roots across the lengths and breadths of India as an effective and viable channel to take the poor to a new domain of economic empowerment and social upliftment. Microcredit, which synergies the thrift and credit habits of the poor in a participatory and informal setting, is now widely acknowledged as a strategic tool in all poverty alleviation programmes. This paper discusses the Indian experience in microcredit.Microcredit; Indian experience; empowerment; financial inclusion

In the Vacuum of Public Action Social Security in Orissa: A Long Way to Go

This paper is part of a large study on the Social Protection in Rural India and China. In this paper, we attempt at a critical appraisal of the historical development and experience of social security initiatives in Orissa, India. Unlike in the context of Kerala, an unfavourable dynamics of historical conjunction of ecological, economic, social, and institutional conditions in Orissa has worked itself out to contribute to the high level of insecurity there. We argue that the failure of Orissa was in its inability to develop the forces of organization and mobilization into its logical end of participatory development process for a secured life on account of some unfavourable historical conjunction. It is also attempted in this paper to categorize the on-going social security schemes according to the definitional framework of our study, that is, in terms of the definitional division of social security into basic and contingent social security.Social security; Orissa; Development; Contingency

Social Security in India: The Long Lane Treaded and the Longer Road Ahead Towards Universalization

This paper is part of a large study on the Social Protection in Rural India and China. In this paper, we attempt at a critical appraisal of the historical development and experience of social security initiatives at the all India level. Based on the findings of the review, we visualize a road map to a more comprehensive and participatory initiatives in provision of social security by the state, while stressing the role of the civil society, non-governmental organizations and mass organizations. It is also attempted to categorize the on-going social security schemes according to the definitional framework of our study, that is, in terms of the definitional division of social security into basic and contingent social security.Social security; India; poverty; development; contingency

Caridina pseudogracilirostris sp.nov. (Atyidae: Caridina) from the Cochin Backwater

A few specimens of Cardina collected from the Cochin Backwater during try net operations, resembled Caridina gracilirostris de Man in many respects. But close examination of the material revealed that they differed from it in the shape and armature of the telson and the absence of the appendix interna on the first pleopod of male specimens. Therefore, a new species Cardina pseudogracilirostris is proposed to describe the animal. Detailed discription of the new species and its affinities to allied species are given in the present note

Tuna fisheries of India

Tunas constitute 3.7% of the total commercial pelagic Jin fish production of the country (Av. 1992-96: 1,14.1067 t). The dominant species which support tuna fishery in the small scale sector in India are Euthynnus afflnls. Auxis thazard, A. rochel, Thunnus tonggol, Katsuwonus pelamis, Thunnus albacares and Sarda orlentalls. Of the total tuna catch (Av. 1992-96: 41,978 t). 77.6% has been landed from, the west coast, 16.8% from the east coast 5% from the Lakshadweep and 0.5% from the Andaman & Nicobar islands. The status of production of different tuna species in India and their environmental preference are summarised. Biological features such as food and feeding habits, age and growth, size at first maturity, spawning and fecundity are briefly discussed. Trends in the production of tunas along the mainland coast of India and Lakshadweep, population parameters and the results of stock assessment are presented briefly. Suggestions for future research and options for tuna fishery development in India are also discussed. The present communication is a review of the works done during the past fifty years and discusses the present status and future strategy of tuna fisheries research and development in India