D Narayana Centre for Development Studies

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Access to Health Care and Basic Minimum Services
in Kerala, India
The Missing Equity Concern in the Kerala Local
Government

• D NarayanaCentre for Development Studies
• Trivandrum, KERALA

Sali, 26April, 2005
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Governance and Equity

• Equity different from Equality
• Equity in terms of justice and fairness- judgment
  involved
• Who will judge? Issue of Governance
• Good governance- Participatory, Transparent,
  Accountable
• Good governance- voices of poor, marginalized
  heard
• Calls for appropriate institutions, mechanisms
  and processes

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Implications of Panchayati Raj/ Municipalities as
the Third Tier of Governance in India's Federal
Structure
State
Union
Panchayat Raj
Municipality
Zilla P.
Block P.
Gram P.
Gram Sabha- Village Assembly
Source Figure 2, Mathew, G and Mathew, A (2003)
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Salient Features of Local Governance

• Persons chosen by direct election to fill seats
• Seats shall be reserved for Scheduled
  Caste/Scheduled Tribes
• One-third the number of seats reserved for women
• Offices of chairperson shall also be reserved for
  women / SC or ST
• Plan for economic development and social justice

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Preconditions for Equity

• Representation for women,and marginalized
• Village assemblies- at least certain attendance
  by women
• Working Groups- certain groups have to be headed
  by women, SC/ST
• Village assemblies have to meet every three
  months
• They have to approve plans, schemes and programs

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Planning and monitoring at panchayat level

• Development projects identified from Gram sabha
• Working groups formulate projects and monitor
  implementation
• Sectoral allocation of funds
• In most cases equal distribution of funds among
  wards irrespective of the needs
• Exceptions- Poverty alleviation programs, Women
  Development
• Big Question- Why no equity, why equality?

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Composition of Working Groups

• Total 10 Working Groups- 5 have no woman member
• Poverty Alleviation(8) and Women Development(10)
• Health and Sanitation- no woman member
• Tribal development (1), Education (2)
• Overall, few women in Working Groups
• From Village Assemblies to Working Groups- Voices
  of Women, marginalised gets muted
• From WGs to Panchayat Board- Voices become distant

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The Missing Links

• Evidence based decision- making missing
• Monitorable indicators missing
• An incentive system for monitoring missing
• Civil society groups missing
• Kerala- Political society very active but is
  equity a concern?
• A difficult idea to get across

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Interaction in Gram Sabha (Village Assembly)

• Presentation of indicators
• First time the population were exposed to such
  process
• Very well received.
• The database seen as an important input for
  planning
• Gathering information on a regular basis seen as
  very useful for local planning
• Questions repeatedly asked
• What can be done with the data?
• What is next?

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• THANK YOU