The Left Democratic Front (LDF) of the south Indian state of Kerala, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), came to power for a consecutive second time this year, securing 99 out of 140 seats in the state Legislative Assembly elections that took place in April. This victory, breaking a 40-year-old trend of alternating governments, has been majorly attributed to the successful handling of natural disasters that struck the state during the last government’s term and that of the COVID-19 pandemic. The highlight of Kerala’s internationally celebrated disaster management strategy, as argued by historians, political scientists, media persons and others, has been a community-centered approach with thorough people’s participation.
Kerala’s history of social change has been driven by consistent people’s participation in the affairs of the state. The ‘Public Library Movement’ that set up reading rooms and little libraries in parts of the state, the ‘Literacy Movement’ that sought to spread literacy in a state that today boasts of being the most literate in the country, and the historic ‘People’s Plan Campaign,’ which celebrates its silver jubilee this year, are examples of this.
August 25 marked twenty-five years of the People’s Plan Campaign, started by the LDF Government of 1996 with the logic of ‘decentralization’ but by bringing the government closer to the people of the state. At the heart of the plan was community participation in decision-making. Experts laud the contribution of the People’s Plan to the strides Kerala has made in crucial fields like education, health, local infrastructure and the like, while reducing poverty. Considered the brainchild of EMS Namboodiripad, the first Chief Minister of Kerala and Communist ideologue, who called it the “next big thing” after land reforms, the campaign was introduced in 1996 by the then Left Democratic Front government. It was part of the Ninth Plan of the State Planning Board (SPB), an autonomous body that assists the state government in formulating development plans. The Chairman of the Board is the Chief Minister of the state and the Vice-Chairman an academic. When the People’s Plan Campaign was launched, renowned economist Iqbal Singh Gulati (1924-2002) was the Vice Chairman and veteran Communist leader E K Nayanar, the Chief Minister. The campaign was popularized by leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and members of the then Planning Board, Dr. T M Thomas Issac, economist and two-time Finance Minister of Kerala, and chartered accountant E M Sreedharan. Beyond the formal members of the Planning Board, the campaign had a host of intellectuals, activists, media persons, bureaucrats and other public figures working on building it.
People’s Plan’s launch in Kerala took place at a crucial time in India’s economic and political history. In 1991, the P V Narasimha Rao-led Congress government introduced the Liberalisation, Privatization, Globalization (or ‘LPG’ for short) Policy, which sought to break away from protectionism. It was also a time when there was intense demand from international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank for the non-interference of the state in the market. When ‘TINA,’ short for ‘There Is No Alternative,’ was the buzzword, Kerala proved that a better world was possible by offering a radical alternative based on people’s participation in issues of their daily affairs.
“Since this was a new initiative, we were all very excited! People usually don’t have a say in what the municipality does. But in this case, since they could decide for themselves what to do, everyone was quite interested. Be it a road construction project or an irrigation program. People would sit down and discuss how to go about it,” recollects P K Asha, the Municipal Chairman of Thalassery, a coastal town in northern Kerala’s Kannur district, during the first phase of the plan.
As mentioned above, the campaign was made possible with the careful devolution of the Ninth Plan budget. According to data cited by T. M. Thomas Issac and Richard Frankie in People’s Planning: Kerala, Local Democracy and Development, the annual plan for the state for the year 1997-98 was Rs. 2855 crores (387,974,515 USD), out of which Rs. 1025 crores (139,290,325 USD), i.e., 36% of the total budget was reserved for devolution. The rest of the budget was divided between state-level departments for already committed expenditure, unfinished projects, unpaid bills and the like. Out of the Rs. 1025 (139,290,325 USD), crores, leaving aside Rs. 276 crores (37,506,468 USD) for ‘state-sponsored schemes’ — ongoing schemes undertaken by various state-level departments — Rs. 749 crores ( (101,783,857 USD) were the actual grant-in-aid to local bodies. The aid had three components: Special Component Plans (SCP), which dealt with funds earmarked for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and accounted for Rs. 194 crores (26,363,242 USD), i.e., 25.6% of the total aid. Other components were Tribal Sub-Plans (TSP), which were plan funds earmarked for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes, accounting for Rs. 39 crores (5,299,827 USD) or 5.2% of the total aid, and general plan fund, which accounted for the rest of the aid. The plan funds under the three categories were allocated between rural and urban local bodies according to their population ratio, i.e., 85:15. Guidelines were provided to local bodies to utilize the funds efficiently. At least 45-50% was meant for projects or schemes in productive sectors like agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and small-scale industries. About 30-40% of the plan allocation was designated for education, health, sanitation, drinking water supply, and housing. Only 10-30% of the plan allocation could be utilized for infrastructure facilities like roads, public works, etc. The local bodies were aware of the exact amount of plan allocation that they would acquire. This prevented the executive from tampering with the funds later. With such assured allocations, local bodies were able to take up development projects confidently.
P K Asha says, “In our Thalassery Municipality, we worked on at least 20 drinking water programs. Even though the municipality did all the infrastructure work, it was the people who decided on what to do. Meetings at local levels were held and problems faced by the people there were discussed in detail. The consumers of the project then formed a committee themselves to discuss more matters. Some of these projects are still going on.”
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The plan made significant improvements in public health, public education, rural infrastructure and general well-being. 28% of the population was dependent on public health facilities in 1991 and by 2018, it increased to 48%. More than 600,000 students in Kerala dropped out from private schools to join public schools. Infant mortality came down to 7% and achieved the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target for IMR reduction, set at eight for 2020. Rural roads, which were 1.15 lakh km in 1995-96, increased to 2.31 lakh km in 2018-19. The number of people under the poverty line decreased from 25% in 1993-94 to 6% in 2011-12. As per the United Nations Development Program, the poor in the state declined from 13% in 2005-06 to 1 % in 2015-16. The campaign also gave birth to self-help groups like Kudambashree, the world’s largest network of women with more than 41,00000 members. The mission of the organization is to eradicate extreme poverty through community action.
So what’s next for the People’s Plan as per today’s lawmakers? Dr. T M Thomas Isaac, one of the People’s Plan campaign architects, wrote on Facebook, “The excitement of the popular planning period must be restored. Participation should increase. Corruption must be eradicated. Modern science and technology should be incorporated in agricultural, small and industrial sectors. We must remember that we are in the transition to a society of knowledge. Watershed master plans should be brought along with district plans. Urban planning needs to be improved further. Absolute poverty must be eradicated. Women’s equality must be ensured. Eco-friendly policies must come into place. The marginalized, elderly and disabled must be included in planning. The next 25 years should be about shaping Kerala up like this.”
Originally published by Peoples Dispatch.
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