Kerala 2005 - of Planning Commission

CHAPTER 4
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN KERALA: SPATIAL AND HORIZONTAL INEQUALITIES
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Table 4.6: Distribution of Households by Social Groups and Household Type, 1999-2000 (Rural)
Social Groups/ Self-employed in Agricultural Other Labour Self-employed Others Total
Household Type Non-agriculture Labour
in Agriculture
Scheduled Tribe 10.71 33.92 12.50 23.21 19.64 100
Scheduled Caste 4.72 55.79 26.60 3.43 9.01 100
Other Backward Classes 22.81 16.86 25.35 17.71 17.01 100
Others 18.36 19.32 21.32 20.36 20.43 100
Source: Nair and Menon (2006, forthcoming).
The decline in poverty among SCs and STs could be broadly
attributed to the increase in wages of rural labourers, a
range of anti-poverty measures undertaken by both the
Central and State Governments, and to the growth of the
general economy, which, in turn, raises the average level
of income. However, what is still a matter of concern is the
over-representation of both SCs and STs in the population
below the poverty line in the State.
It has been argued (Chapter 3) that a major contributory
factor to poverty reduction in Kerala was the growth in
urbanisation and its positive correlation with non-agricultural
output/employment; there might be some connection
between urbanisation and reduction in income poverty
through the non-farm income route. Perhaps, a clue as to
why SCs and STs have not benefited from a more equitable
provisioning of social services lies in the lower diversification
of these groups into non-agricultural activities, the proportion
of which is higher in the more urbanised districts (Narayana
2003). In Kerala, the dependence of the SC/ST population
on agriculture is much higher than the general population
(Table 4.6). 4 Although the overall proportion of main workers
in the non-primary sector among the SCs is about 17 per cent
lower compared to the general population, the proportion is
close to 50 per cent in the most urbanised districts (Narayana
ibid.). This is not so for the ST population; the proportion
of which in the non-primary sector is low, irrespective of
the district they belong to. Further, the district with a large
concentration of STs (Wayanad) is the least urbanised and
has shown practically no growth in this respect. The lower
economic diversification, which also impacts on level of
wages earned in agriculture, does get translated into poorer
material conditions of life and in turn constrains access to
basic social amenities, whether it is housing, electricity
lighting, good sanitation and drinking water. 5
This is reflected in a much higher index of deprivation for
SCs and STs as shown in Table 4.3; it is higher by 70 and
115 per cent, respectively, as compared to other caste and
community groups in the State. The STs in Wayanad district
are the most deprived social group, followed by the STs in
Idukki and Palakkad, and among the SCs, the most deprived
are in Kasaragod district. As expected, in all districts, ‘other’
caste groups are the least deprived. Interestingly, the disparity
in deprivation does not exist between SCs and other caste
groups in Idukki and it is low in Wayanad.
This situation gets further aggravated by landlessness/small
sized holdings among the SC and ST households in the
State, which is still a crucial developmental issue. 6
5.4 Landholding
The average size of landholding among the STs is 0.68 acres,
which is higher than that for the SCs (0.32 acres), OBCs
(0.40 acres) and others (0.63 acres) (Nair and Menon 2006,
forthcoming). Though the average size of land ownership is
higher among the STs, given the historical experiences of land
encroachment, acquisition of forest land by the Government
and tribal displacement, the STs remain vulnerable, the
4 It is also higher than the proportion in many other States.
5 Kannan and Hari (2002).
6 For detailed accounts, see K. Ravi Raman (2003). “Breaking New Ground: Adivasi Land Struggle in Kerala”, Economic and
Political Weekly, March 9; Bijoy, C.R. and K. Ravi Raman (2003). “Muthanga: The Real Story: Adivasi Movement to Recover
Land”, Economic and Political Weekly, May 17.