Socio-cultural Processes and Livelihood Patterns at Tirurangadi - CDS

the present trend ends, then other options will have to be sought. This involves a
combination of the possibilities of Information technology, which in the absence of a
powerful productive sector, will concentrate on the circulation of money capital in
various forms. This is apart from the various prospects of multimedia. The other would
be the use of bio-technology, which has not caught the attention of the people so far, but
in the wake of watershed plan of the region, is soon likely to be introduced in a big way.
In the absence of major investments of gulf migrants in the productive sector, these seem
to be the options that are left today. The growth of a service sector in not in the agenda of
the market, except what is necessary for the survival of the state such as a police
paramilitary and military forces. Religious services are at present attracting considerable
attention, and it is not impossible that they come to occupy a lion’s share of the non-
governmental activities in the area. With the large amount funds coming from agencies
like ADB and World Bank getting diverted to non-Governmental agencies it is possible
that these funds will be used by religious and other philanthropic agencies. Even now, the
World Bank aided Jalanidhi project in Thenhippalam Panchayat is conducted by the
Irinjalakkuda diocese of the Roman Catholic Church. One of the crucial stipulations of
the Jalanidhi project is that the other water supply schemes of the Panchayat be closed
down. If similar provisions are implemented in other activities, then we will have a
swelling of non-governmental service sector, heavily influenced by religious and
philanthropic agencies.
The dominant political agenda is that of supporting institutions to the scheme mentioned
above. At present, education and health is controlled by private agencies, in which again,
religious agencies have a decisive role. The political parties are for the growth of unaided
schools and self-financing institutions, and are similarly favorable to the growth of
private hospitals. Gulf returnees or migrants are already investing money into such
ventures. However, the feed backs we received show that the people from economically