Why Kerala performed better in the Covid Response.? : Eight Reasons.

 Why Kerala performed better in the Covid Response.? : Eight Reasons.

The state of Kerala in India received wider recognition at the national and international levels about the relatively better performance of Covid response.

Kerala has so far managed to reduce the spread and also death rates.

The good story is that all my friends across India and different parts of the world tell me that Kerala did a very good covid response management.

As Keralites from different parts of India and world return home, there would be an increase of covid positive cases. However, the government seems to be prepared to meet the challenge.

There are eight reasons that made Kerala society, governance and politics distinct.

1)The geography and densely populated habitat.

Due its long coastal line, it has witnessed more than 2500 years of trade relationship with countries in the east and the west. Trade relations with different parts of the world brought different streams of religious faiths and evolved as society of multiple religious faith communities integral to its history. The trade relationship over centuries with different cultural and linguistics communities shaped the entrenched presence of a multi religious community who shared the geography, habitat, culture and language in collaborative ways

The high density of population along with relatively less economic and natural resources also made the mixed habitat more competitive.

In the last hundred years, a number of community and communitarian organizations competed

with each other in opening schools and health facilities. This also led to a relatively high demand and high access to education open to all sections of the society. The collaborative competition still remains a character of the society. .

The cosmopolitan character of society with different castes and creeds living together in mixed neighborhood and dispersed across the state, influenced political process as well.

Kerala was never a part of an empire or under a single unified ruler. Historically, political power was dispersed in the geography of Kerala.

Though there was intense caste based discrimination, due to different streams of social reformations and movements against caste segregation and discrimination, Kerala society made an early tryst with modernity.

The efforts by different governments , non government and civil society organizations in promoting education and health made Kerala high on human development and capability.

This along with multiple streams of democratization made society somewhat different historically.

Political parties as well as civil society organizations played an important role in democratisation of society. While the Indian National Congress, as part of the freedom struggle, facilitated social and political democratization, the communist party since 1940s played an important role in the empowerment of Dalits and marginalized communities.

The mixed neighborhood habitat of different castes and creed, along with multiple streams of social reforms and political participation made the society and people more politically aware and active.

Hence it is the specific geography, history, cosmopolitan social ethos and competitive political culture that made the distinct governance trajectory of Kerala.

2) Higher Human Development and achievement of Sustainable Development Goals make relatively higher public awareness, participation and public action.

Kerala has a relatively high Human Development trajectory over the last several decades , before and after the independence. As per the latest Sustainable Development Goals Index of the Neeti Ayog, Kerala is the top achiever in India.

The better public investment in education and health resulted in a large number of professional, skilled and semi skilled workforce with capability to compete in the global market.

A significant increase in global migration of professional and skilled workers , particularly to Gulf countries, in the early 1980sonwards resulted in the highest remittances in India, for the last thirty years.

The high remittances enabled Kerala to achieve economic growth, reduction of poverty and relatively better access to professional education and higher education.

This also led to the relatively high globalization, resulting in a large number of people sharing experience and perspective from many countries across the world

All these factors led to a population that demonstrated a relatively higher social awareness, responsibility, public participation and public action.

3) Relatively Transparent and Effective Governance can be more responsive and responsible.

Over the last several decades Kerala has built an effective system of government. One of the major reasons of better performing government is the relatively high quality of highly educated public /government staff.

Kerala may have the largest number of government staff with postgraduate degrees and professional education. This has contributed to a relatively higher systemic capacity to deliver.

At each level of government, there are relatively high competent and responsive professional staff. The relatively higher qualification and professional capacity made government to respond better.

Another reason is the political executive always sought to innovate governance. For example, Kerala is one of the first states to adopt E - governance in an effective manner. This ability to adopt the latest technology and improve the ability of communication across the department also improved the system capacity and response quality.

Kerala government was open to get ideas from expert citizens and better practice from India and internationally.

4))A cumulative investment in a public health system pay rich dividends

Kerala has consistently allocated more budget for public health and improving the quality of health care. Kerala is one of the few places in the world with a four tier public health care system.

The public health system evolved over the last sixty years. This system is active at the state, district, sub-district level, panchayath level and even at the ward level. This effective public health system at the grass roots level enabled relatively better public health monitoring and support system than most other states.

The per capita health expenditure of Kerala is the highest in India. It is reported that it is an average of USD 125 per head.

This health system got coordinated and activated at every level. Kerala health department also got some experience and expertise in responding to infectious /communicable disease like Nippa virus outbreak.

Apart from the capacity of the system, effective leadership of Health Minister Kk Shyalaja made a big difference. In Kerala entire leadership of health system management is led by women. Health Minister, a former high school teacher, proved to be a leader who consistently updated knowledge and managed with competence and empathy. Director of Health department is also a professional woman leader with high competence.

5) Effective Local Government can make a huge difference.

Following the 73 -74 th constitutional amendment, the three tiers local government is very active in Kerala with a relatively high capacity to be responsive and responsible at the grassroots level. This is due to several factors. Peoples planning process in the second part of nineties strenthend the role of panchayath raj institutions.

Kerala allocated a relatively higher budget for local government institutions. They have direct responsibility for health, education, disaster response and several other delivery of government welfare initiatives. This has increased the responsibility and legitimacy of Panchayath Raj Institutions.

In Kerala, political party workers at the grassroots level are social workers and social activists. Due to their direct interface with people and civil society, there is a direct scrutiny by the people . Hence the responsiveness is one of the highest i. There has been consistent investment in capacity of Panchayaths through the efforts of Kerala Institute of Local Administration. (KILA )

Panchayath Raj institutions are at the frontier of Covid lockdown relief as well aa effective community monitoring.

6)Women's education and leadership triggered change

Compared to rest of India the human development and capability are relatively higher. Women play a stellar leadership role in civil society as well as public health. Nurses from Kerala became the brand ambassadors of the state in India and across the world.

The Kudumbasree network of 4.2 million women played an important role in organizing community relief and response. Around 27000 Asha health workers are women at the forefront of covid monitoring and support.

Despite the higher education and capability of women, political parties and various institutions still remain highly patriarchal. This led to the very less percentage of women MLAs and MPs. However at the level of local government, fifty percent of seats and leadership position are reserved for women. Women play a great role as members and leaders of local government institutions.

7) Highly Competitive Democratic Culture.

One of the reasons for Kerala government to perform better is the higher quotient of democratization of civil society and political parties.

Kerala has a highly competitive political culture. In the last forty years, two alliances Left Democratic Front (LDF ).and United Democratic Front (UDF) competed each other in election. However, the margin of win between these two political party alliances has always been very thin.

This also meant the difference in vote share between the ruling political parties and opposition parties are not high. Hence no political alliance could rule Kerala for more than five years. And not a single political party or leader can take the people for granted. Because people are known to vote out alliances and leaders.

A very active opposition, civil society and media ensured scrutiny of government and processes of governance. Such public scrutiny made government to respond with more alacrity.

The collaborative competitive culture of Kerala didn't give an opportunity, in the last sixty years, for a single party alone or single leader to rule Kerala. Hence the multi party alliances culture has been prevalent. So far no alliance or leader ruled Kerala for two consecutive terms.

As a result of highly competitive political culture, it has been difficult for any single party or leader to subvert the government systems.

This high competing political culture made each alliance to claim better quality performance. Paradoxically, such competing claims improved the responsive quality of the government over a period of time.

8).Responsive Political Executive and Effective Media

The Chief Minster of Kerala, Mr Pinarayi Vijayan, did a commendable crisis management by effective coordination, and effective response. Regular public communication reassured people that government is capable, responsible and responsive.

In the times of such a pandemic emergency, reassurance and constant communication ensure that information is correct, cohesive and coordinated..

The Chief Minister is also the Chair of Kerala Disaster Management Authority. And this also helped a better disaster responsive and mitigation approach.

Media played a public information role as well as a public scrutiny role. This too made government to respond in more transparent and calibrated manner.

The opposition political parties and leaders kept the heat by scrutinizing government on a daily basis. Despite the irritations by those associated with the government, the highly competitive politics made government to be more transparent and responsive in terms of decision making and the public policy choices.

In the end what makes Kerala different is its relatively more aware and responsible citizens, a highly competitive democratic culture, a responsive and capable government, a well entrenched public health system, effective local government and crisis management quality of the political executive.

Kerala is an example of how democracy and development can enable and empower people and make government capable and responsive.

JS Adoor

147Murali Vettath, Sunil JI and 145 others

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