Sustainable Development and Building Inclusive Societies

In Kerala the social sustainability of Tribal Youth is vested with the social innovations. In Kerala the social mobility and social inclusion are programs mainly impacted by the Community Development Programs of Kudumbashree Mission. The Tribal Development Project of Kudumbashree implemented has a lot of convergence programs for tribes. Among these the social innovation programs of Tribal Youth is successful in Pathanamthitta district. The Tribal Youth in Kerala considered as the age group belongs to 18 to 40 years  as per State Youth Policy norms in the specified areas. This paper strictly explains the social sustainability of the tribal youth and role of Kudumbashree for empowering their sustainable development through micro enterprise development. The objectives of the study: (1) to explain the demographic profile and livelihood patterns of Tribal Youth in Kerala. (2) To explain the social sustainability of Tribal Youth through micro enterprise development in Kerala. (3) To find out the role and impact of Kudumbashree programs for their sustainability. (4) To observe the impact of social sustainability in decentralization process. The methodology for the study is mainly used by secondary data analysis. Social survey, observation visit conducted in various government departments and collected secondary data and it is extracted exclusively for youth studies as per the youth policy norms. The data analysis and interpretation done with the support of Tables and Figures collected from various sources. The study concludes that, to explain demographic profile and livelihood patterns of tribal youth in Kerala, they make a conceptual frame work about the tribal youth in Kerala. The important thing is that Kudumbashree is a poverty eradication mission and specially focusing the Youth Empowerment

Energy and Inclusive Growth of Karnataka: Analysis and Policy Implications

Energy is a crucial factor in the process of development. Availability and access to energy are pre-requisites for the functioning of any system, sector and region which invariably demands for energy security. The present study has made an attempt to analyze, the energy inclusiveness in the process of growth of Karnataka. Census survey data have been used for the study and disparity techniques have been largely used for analysis. Possible pre-testing procedures have been followed to ensure the data validity. Arguments have been made only on the basis of tested results. It has been found from the study that there is significant difference between urban and rural regions in access to energy sources. There is a correlation between development and access to energy sources. It has been found from the impact analysis that regional factors and income have positive impact on use of modern clean energy sources. Therefore, there is a need of integrated energy strategy for inclusive growth of Karnataka. Otherwise, some regions, some districts, some sections of the people will be left-out in development process due to lack of access to energy.

Significance of Arecanut Crop in the Agrarian Economy of Kerala

Arecanut is used by all sections of people as masticator either alone or in combination with betel leaves, lime and tobacco. It is an essential requisite for several religious and social ceremonies and also in human and veterinary medicine. The arecanut palm grows in different climatic and soil conditions and is grown in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Myanmar. According to the recent data on area and production of arecanut in different countries, India stands first with a total area of 445 thousand hectares producing about 730 thousand tonnes of arecanut. In India, among the arecanut growing states, Kerala, Karnataka and Assam account for 95 per cent of the total area and 90 per cent of the total production. In earlier days, India was an importer of arecanut; now it is exporting which accounted 7057 tonnes valued at Rs. 81.19 crores.

A Study on the Current Scenario of Corporate Social Responsibility in India

“A business does not exist in isolation simply as a way of making money”. Customers, suppliers and local community are all affected by business. CSR is considered as the essence of the modern business practice having social responsibility in the current scenario. CSR refers to the way the businesses are managed bringing about an overall positive impact on an emerging scenario over all the business operations. CSR takes all into account and helps the business to create and maintain effective relationship with their stakeholders. CSR has been developed in recent years to make corporate aware of social responsibility as an important segment of their business activity. But CSR in India has yet to receive widespread recognition and facing issues and challenges as a form of obligation towards society at large. With a new law making it obligatory for India to conduct Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, this could soon become a benchmark for others. Apart from gauging the changes in the CSR scenario after the introduction of the Companies Act 2013, changes in CSR scenario means the changes in the amount spending, of CSR and the targeted spending, and the challenges faced, followed by the steps that the Indian government took in 2013. It provides maximum benefit to society and as well as company also. The companies should use CSR to integrate economic, environmental and social objectives with the company’s operations and its growth. This paper throws light on the major issues and challenges faced by the Corporate Social Responsibility in current scenario in India.

Empowering the Small Rubber Growers through Rubber Producers’ Societies in Non-traditional Areas of Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka: An Analysis

The Indian rubber plantation sector is dominated by smallholdings, which account for almost 93 percent of the total rubber production in the country. Small rubber growers suffer from problems like low productivity, poor quality of processing and weak marketing system. The prevalence of smallholdings makes the sector vulnerable to fluctuations in price, exploitation by intermediaries, etc. To overcome the problems of small rubber growers, the formation of co-operatives called Rubber Producers’ Societies (RPSs) was suggested. The present study has assessed the role of RPSs in Empowering the Small Rubber Growers in providing services for input delivery, processing and marketing of natural rubber in DK. The study has revealed that RPS members have a lower cost of production and better price realization for their product compared to non-members. Group processing and community smoke house facility help in production of good quality rubber sheets. Key services provided by RPSs have been under five major categories, viz. marketing, financial efficiency, infrastructural and social factors.