NGOS and democratic decentralisation in Kerala: The role of Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP)
- Bihar Journal of Public Administration
- 21(1), Jan-Jun, 2024: p.117-128
The idea of ‘Peoples Planning’ in Kerala as a means of democratic decentralisation was widely recognised and appreciated. One of the reasons for the success of this novel initiative was the existence and operation of strong people’s organisations or movements that mobilised the people across the state and developed innovative models and experiments in decentralised governance. The most important organisation in this respect is the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP). Despite being a movement for imparting scientific education, the organisation acted as a channel for deepening democratic decentralisation through an active civil society interface. This study explores the Panchayat Raj system in Kerala and evaluates the role of NGOs, especially KSSP, in institutionalising democratic decentralisation. It concludes by emphasising the need for associating NGOs with the various stages of decentralisation to make it more meaningful and effective. The methodology adopted is analytical, comparative, and empirical.- Reproduced