Page 213 - economic review

185

integrated approach. This is visible in Kerala Water Policy 2008. However, the state needs to work SOCIAL SERVICE
more in some areas of Water Management.

4.199 Of foremost importance is a co-ordinated action plan for the state involving specific and
measureable steps in terms of targets for the wide spectrum of stakeholders. The fact that water, waste
management and sanitation go hand-in–hand needs to be accepted. Rather than providing water,
the emphasis must shift to conserving water and promoting the 3 R’s – Recover, Reuse and Recycle.
Greater emphasis on demand management is the need of the hour. Many of the developed nations
have introduced steps to reduce their overall water consumption across sectors by 2050 through
better water management measures and reduction in per capita water consumption. Kerala has to
device mechanisms to promote efficiency in the use of water. The best practices in Management have
to be introduced for utilisation of water. Greater social awareness about the rights and responsibilities
in the use of water and enhanced people’s participation in water management can bring about a
sea change in Kerala. Social Audit is a good tool. Pricing of water is an issue which need greater
attention. Rain water harvesting, an effective process to utilize water, has to be implemented with
more vigour in the state. The ‘polluter pays’ principle can be enforced to curb the menace of pollution.
The state can also accord greater priority for promoting & supporting the development, adaptation
and dissemination of new and appropriate technologies for water management.

Section 6
Gender Development

4.200 The existence of inequalities between men and women has caught the attention of Governments
and social scientists world over. Women are often at a disadvantage, more so in the developing world.
Gender relations are often the key to understanding such inequalities. Hence Gender Development,
with emphasis on bringing the oppressed gender (women) into the mainstream is given high priority
in development strategy. Gender Development activities are gaining momentum due to two facts.
On the one hand, there is a growing realisation that women constitute a significant percentage of
population and hence, they cannot be left behind if the society is to be made equitable and prosperous.
On the other, the contributions that women can make as active and vibrant economic agents, is being
recognised, more than ever.

4.201 Gender disaggregated data and indices are tools that can be used to identify gender
inequalities, determine the issues that must be addressed, take steps to redress the inequalities,
provide feedback on the effectiveness of actions and re-prioritise allocation of resources. At the
global level, various agencies like United Nations Development Programme and World Economic
Forum bring out indices to measure the position, improvements, and gaps relating to Gender. Gender
related Development Index (GDI) and Gender Inequality Index (GII) developed by UNDP and the
Global Gender Gap Report brought out by World Economic Forum are some of them. They provide a
ranking of countries in terms of set parameters and form a platform for inter-country comparison. On
the whole these indices try to measure the achievements and gaps in spheres like health, education,
economic participation & command over economic resources, political representation etc. Each of
these areas is measured in terms of specific indicators like life expectancy, years of schooling, labour
participation rate etc. It places emphasis on empowering the women so as to enable them to be
equal participants in development.

Economic Review 2014