A Revisit to COVID-19 Challenges and Responses: A Case Study of Kerala
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Published:
Sep 28, 2020
Keywords:
COVID19 Challenges, Resilient Rebuilding Challenges, Kerala, India
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Abstract
Kerala, a state with high development indices distinguished with its Kerala Model of Development (UN, 1975), is also affected by recent Pandemic COVID'19 as other states and nations worldwide. The existing socio-economic analysis of the State reveals that the land reforms, promotion of education, and early introduction of participatory governance through Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) have contributed to the State's socio-economic and political advancement. These factors played a significant role in the fight against the pandemic. This study is an attempt to answer what are the future economic and health challenges as the State, Kerala Model of Development, is faced with COVID'19? The specific objectives further guide this— to study the economic challenges ahead of the State as the tertiary sector is faced with challenges to contribute to the economy and attempted to study the possible ways to address health issues in the State. The researchers conducted an in-depth interview among 10 social scientists and economists of Kerala using purposive sampling to obtain primary data, which has been supported by secondary resources. The researchers did a thematic analysis of the primary data collected, further corroborated by secondary data. The study reveals that the State's current scenario during the pandemic, the grass-root empowerment in all spheres of life clubbed with administrative guidance, resulted in well-equipped public health care service delivery. The fall in the tertiary sector's income has decisively affected the State's economy, especially in agriculture, health, IT, tourism, labour, and foreign remittance. The State's economic and social equilibrium will face challenges in addressing issues in the post-COVID era. Even though the State suffered some increased Covid-19 cases recently, after expatriates' return, the dimensions mentioned above assisted the State in its fight against COVID'19. To address the challenges to the Kerala Model of Development, especially the post-COVID-19 requirements of the State demands interrogation, introspection, and integration of the current policies that majorly depend on the tertiary sector and initiate policies, plans, and programmes to strike a balance between all sectors, especially providing impetus to the primary sector so that a failure in one sector can be compensated by the other.
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Paul, N., Jacob, E. M., & Philip, S. R. (2020). A Revisit to COVID-19 Challenges and Responses: A Case Study of Kerala . Space and Culture, India, 8(2), 47-61. https://doi.org/10.20896/saci.v8i2.1061
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Reviews
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School of Distance Education, University of Calicut. (2011). Indian Society and Social Change.https://tinyurl.com/y3tjfdaf
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Bhattacharya, N., & Jairath, V. (2012). Social Movements, 'Popular' Spaces, and Participation: A Review. Sociological Bulletin, 61(2), 299-319. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23620969
BMSSW KOCHI. (2020, June 8). Bharathion International webinar series Day 4 (Video). YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRnvP0Jt3g8
Boudieu, P. (1993). Forms of Capital. In Handbook of Theory and Research for Sociology of Education. New York: Greewood Press.
Chandran, P.B.P.(2018). Kerala Agrarian relation Bill, 1957: An Analysis. Online Journal of Multidisciplinary Subjects, 12(1), 837-842. http://www.researchguru.net/volume/Volume%2012/Issue%201/RG94.pdf
COVID-19: Study estimates Rs 80,000 cr loss to Kerala economy. (2020, May 11). Outlook. https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/covid19-study-estimates-rs-80000-cr-loss-to-kerala-economy/1830548
Creswell, W.J. (2007). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design Choosing among five approaches. Sage Publications
Encyclopedia Britannica (Ed.). Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/green-revolution
Encyclopedia. (n.d). Kerala Model of development. https://www.encyclopedia.com/international/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/kerala-model-development
Expats rush to Kerala; officials fail to set up quarantine facilities. (2020, June 26). Mathrubhumi. https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/expats-rush-to-kerala-officials-fail-to-set-up-quarantine-facilities-1.4860915
Government of Kerala (2020). Socio-Religious Reform Movement. https://kerala.gov.in/reform-movement
Government of Kerala. (2019). Government of Kerala, Rebuild Kerala Development programme: A Resilient Recovery Policy Framework and Action Plan for Shaping Kerala's Resilient, Risk-Informed Development, and Recovery from 2018 Floods. https://impactkerala.com/sites/default/files/DRAFT_RKDP_12_March_2019.pdf
International Monetary Fund. (2020, April). World Economic Outlook, April 2020: The Great Lockdown. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2020/04/14/weo-april-2020
Israeli technology to transform Indian agriculture. (2017, November 22). The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/israeli-technology-to-transform-indian-agriculture/articleshow/61752914.cms
Jemal, A. (2017). Critical Consciousness: A Critique and Critical Analysis of the Literature. The Urban Review, 49(4), 602–626. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-017-0411-3
Jenny, R. (Ed.). (2002). Development and Displacement. Open University Press & Oxford University Press: Milton Keynes.
Jeromi, D.P. (2003, April 19). What Ails Kerala's Economy: A Sectoral Exploration. Economic and Political Weekly. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4413463?seq=1
Joseph, T. A. (2020, April 26). How Kerala is feeding its 3.48 crore residents, migrants amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The Caravan. https://caravanmagazine.in/economy/keralas-roadmap-to-feeding-its-348-crore-residents-migrants-amid-the-covid-19-lockdown
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Kennedy, L., ROBIN K., Zamuner D. (2013, June 13). Comparing State-level policy responses to economic reforms in India. Regulation Review. http://journals.openedition.org/regulation/10247
Kumar, S. A., & Yasir, P. (2017). An inquiry into the dynamics of inequality from the perspective of Caste. Inequality, Poverty, and Development in India. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-6274-2_4
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Martin, K.A. (2020, May 23). Keralites relied heavily on PDS during lockdown, says study. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/keralites-relied-heavily-on-pds-during-lockdown-says-study/article31660893.ece
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Muringatheri, Mini. (2020. May 10). Agribusiness to offer new opportunities post-COVID. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/agribusiness-to-offer-new-opportunities-post-covid/article31552634.ece
Nair, Naveen. (2020, March 29). COVID-19 Could Cripple Kerala's Economy Like Never Before. The lede. https://www.thelede.in/kerala/2020/03/29/covid-19-could-cripple-keralas-economy-like-never-before
Pillai N., Vijayamohanan. (2008). Infrastructure, growth, and human development in Kerala. Munich Personal RePEc Archive. https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/7017/
Post-COVID, Kerala offers good business potential. (2020, July 23). Business line. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/post-covid-kerala-offers-good-business-potential/article32173196.ece#
Prakash, A. B., (2017). Changes in Agrarian Structure and Land Tenures in Kerala: A Historical Review. Thiruvananthapuram Economic Studies Society. http://keralaeconomy.com/admin/pdfs/A%20Historical%20Review.pdf
Prakash, B. (2020, May 1). What Kerala paid for being Indias model COVID State. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/what-kerala-paid-for-being-indias-model-covid-state/articleshow/75178569.cms
Prakash, B. A., (1998). Gulf migration and its economic impact the Kerala experience. Economic and Political Weekly. http://keralaeconomy.com/admin/pdfs/two%20im.pdf
Ravindranathan, P. (2020, April 10). Covid-19: Kerala Model is the success of decentralised democracy. Policy Circle. https://www.policycircle.org/opinion/covid-19-kerala-model-is-the-success-of-decentralised-democracy/
Rebuild Kerala. (n.d). Kerala Rebuild Initiative. https://tinyurl.com/y3e8uprt
Riser-Kositsky, Sasha (2009). The Political Intensification of Caste: India Under the Raj. Penn History Review,17(1). 3
Scaria, Suma (2010) Changes in land relations: The political economy of land reforms in a Kerala village. Economic and Political Weekly, 45 (26&27): 191-198
School of Distance Education, University of Calicut. (2011). Indian Society and Social Change.https://tinyurl.com/y3tjfdaf
Serageldin, I. (1995). Nurturing Development: Aid and Cooperation in Today's Changing World. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Shah, A., (2010). Putting the 'Kerala Model' to Rest: Lessons for a New Era of Development in India. DOI:10.2139/ssrn.1680001
Shaijumon, C. S. (2020, April). COVID-19 and its Economic Impacts in Kerala. Kerala Calling, 19-21. Public Relations Department, Government of Kerala
Sharma, M. (2020, June 26). View: India's economy is ailing from more than Covid-19. The Economic times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/view-indias-economy-is-ailing-from-more-than-covid-19/articleshow/76637162.cms?from=mdr
Shinoj, P. (2018, February 24). Agriculture Performance and Future Outlook on Food Commodities in Kerala. Agricultural Economics Research Review, 28, 247-258. DOI: 10.5958/0974-0279.2015.00040.3
Singla, Naresh, S. V. (2017). Structural transformations in Kerala's economy is there any role of agriculture sector? Journal of Regional Development and Planning. 5(2), 45-58.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313845245_
Sirianni, C., & Friedland, L. (n.d.). Social Capital, Civic Practice Network. http://www.pn.org/tools/dictionary/capital.html
State Planning Board. (2018). Economic Review 2018. http://spb.kerala.gov.in/ER2018/index.php
Swain, A. (2004). Social Networks and Protest Movements: The Case of Kerala. In D. Bhattacharya (Ed.). Interrogating Social Capital: The Indian Experience (pp. 298-310). New Delhi: Sage Publication.
V.T. Lankina, Lullit, G. (2013). Competitive religious entrepreneurs: Christian missionaries and female education in colonial and post-colonial India. British Journal of Political Science, 43(1), 103-131.
View: India's economy is ailing from more than Covid-19. (2020, June 26). The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/view-indias-economy-is-ailing-from-more-than-covid-19/articleshow/76637162.cms?from=mdr