Study on Interregional migration from Eastern States to Kerala: A Socio Economic Analysis, funded by Ministry of Labour, Government of India.

This is a study of various aspects of the complex issues of domestic migrant labourers in Kerala. It aims to enable various government authorities to formulate and implement an action plan to address various problems of domestic migrant labourers in Kerala. Since critical issues concerning the interstate migrants remain untouched now, the present study provides a roadmap for interventions by government of Kerala, government of India and government of various States which supply migrant labourers.

The major objectives of the study were to:

• examine the socio-economic characteristics of interstate migrants
• study the supply chain of migrants
• identify the factors influencing their decision to migrate to Kerala
• understand working and living conditions of interstate migrants in Kerala
• analyze various socio-economic, occupational and health issues of interstate migrants
• assess the social integration of migrants with the residents
• examine the role of Panchayats and Municipalities in addressing the problem of migrants.
• Identify welfare and social security provisions for migrant workers.
• critically analyze need for special intervention for the upliftment and welfare of migrant workers through government programmes
• Suggest measures for enhancing the welfare of interstate migrants in Kerala

The study has been approved by the Ministry of Labour, Government of India.

Ayurveda Sector in Kerala : Innovation Systems and Social Inclusion in Emerging Economies and Beyond (RISSI in BRICS)

KDS has carried out the implementation of an international project titled ‘Research on Innovation Systems and Social Inclusion in Emerging Economies and Beyond’ in India in 2012. This is part of a major project of Fundacao Universitaria Jose Bonifacio, Brazil, covering BRICS countries. Ayurveda in Kerala, a local patient care and treatment system of innovation and production in traditional medicine in India, is studied as a case study of local productive and innovative system (LIPS) that promotes social inclusion.

The present study has undertaken an analysis of the local system of innovation and production in Kerala’s Ayurvedic medicine. LIPS in Ayurveda are at a rudimentary stage of its evolution. This is evident from the absence of an appropriate institutional architecture along with very limited linkage between different actors and more importantly absence of interactive learning that characterizes a vibrant innovation system. We found that in case of small manufacturing firms, sustained mostly by their inherited knowledge, are hardly involved in any form of interactive learning either with the competing firms or with other institutions. However, in case of larger companies, a trend towards interactive learning seems to have set in, but the existing institutional arrangements are hardly sufficient to take such interactions to higher level of interactive learning and competence building process.

An intervention at the instance of large Ayurvedic companies and the state is the formation of the CARe Keralam, which intends to bring together the different stakeholders in traditional medicine and address their varied problems like raw material access, standardization, marketing and R&D in Ayurveda. Nonetheless, the extent of support given by the state and the scale at which it operates is hardly sufficient given the multiplicity of problems confronted by the LIPS. It is discerned from the discussion from the small firms that the current organizational structure of CARe Keralam creates space of exclusion for the small ones, as the decision making, as of now, is controlled by the companies having sales turnover beyond a threshold level. The study also noted certain space of inclusion as it is manifested in the case of traditional physicians and the Jeevani case. This completed project is sponsored by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

Building the Network of SHG-Based Legal Volunteers – Legal Literacy Programme for women SHGs in Bihar & Rajasthan funded by Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India and UNDP

KDS has implemented a project on legal literacy programme in Bihar and Rajasthan. It has developed innovative training material for providing training on legal matters for women based Self- Help Groups of marginalized communities in Muzaffarpur and Nalanda districts of Bihar and Karoli and Tonk districts of Rajasthan. This covered various activities involving PRIs and rural livelihood programmes focusing on MGNREGA. We have carried out an impact assessment study of the legal literacy training programme organized with the support of UNDP

Role of Self Help Groups in the execution of rural health programmes supported by UNICEF

Identified different areas of operations of SHGs and analyzed to what extent their social capital can be utilized for the execution of various rural health programmes with emphasis on Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) care. It has also suggested measures to enhance the contribution of Women SHGs and their network in the execution of various rural health programmes particularly on Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) care.