Rebuild Kerala Development Programme

In August of 2018, Kerala faced the worst floods ever in the State's history since 1924. Over one-sixth of the State's population was severely affected by the floods and landslides, causing immeasurable losses in terms of lives, livelihoods, property, and infrastructure. The Rebuild Kerala Development Programme is a unique approach undertaken by the Kerala Government to rejuvenate the State. This article delves into the Rebuild Kerala Development Programme and its core essentials.

Vision of the Rebuild Kerala Initiative

Even as the social and economic fabric of Kerala was torn apart during these times, and the capabilities and capacities of their institutions and communities were tested on an unprecedented scale, the State of Kerala rose up to the challenge.

The Rebuild Kerala Development Programme is an integral part of the Rebuild Kerala Initiative. The purpose of the Rebuild Kerala Initiative is as follows:

"Rebuild Kerala Initiative is guided by the Kerala Government's vision for recovery and move towards Nava Keralam. RKI envisions a green and resilient Kerala where higher and ecologically safe standards of infrastructure, improved conditions of living, and new major development projects ensure that people and assets can withstand the onslaught of future disasters."

The vision of the RKI serves as a guiding force for the State's resilient recovery, followed by a streamlined decision-making process to identify priorities, investment needs, and funding sources.

Overview

The core of the Rebuild Kerala Initiative is to develop, coordinate, facilitate, and monitor the RKDP through a participatory and inclusive process. The RKDP comprises the State’s strategic method to achieve a green and resilient Kerala. The programme encompasses cross-cutting and sector-based policies, regulatory and institutional actions, including priority investment programs that are essential for the resilient and sustainable recovery and rebuilding of the State of Kerala. It focuses on catalysing the aspects of rebuilding Kerala in a way that addresses all the key drivers of floods and other natural disasters, including climate change risks. The Government of Kerala aims to build a robust Kerala through resilient recovery, paving the development pathway to Nava Keralam.

Objective of the RKDP

The primary objective of the Rebuild Kerala Development Programme is:

To enable Kerala’s resilient recovery and catalyse a transformational shift towards risk-informed socio-economic development through supporting sustainable communities, institutions, livelihoods, and putting in place major infrastructure.

Goals of the RKDP

The Rebuild Kerala Development Programme pursues the following goals:

Rebuilding Kerala to ensure higher standards of infrastructure, assets, and livelihoods for resilience against future disasters.
Building individual, community, and institutional resilience towards natural hazards while fostering equitable, inclusive, and participatory reconstruction that builds itself back better.

The RKDP also focuses on improving sectoral mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction measures and strengthening disaster-risk management capabilities across Kerala. The aim is to rebuild a resilient State, wherein state institutions, infrastructure, citizens, and their livelihoods are safe and protected during extreme weather conditions.

Core Guiding Principles

The planning and implementation of every project, including the Rebuild Kerala Development Programme, revolve around 8 core guiding principles, such as:

Fast, Efficient, and Inclusive
Improving Resilience
Build-back-Better philosophy
Innovative and Modern Technologies
Fair and Equitable Rehabilitation Practices
Capacity Building
Building Asset Management Frameworks
Simplification of processes and procedures

Key Sector Priorities

The following are the critical sector priorities of the Rebuild Kerala Development Programme:

Integrated Water Resource Management
Water Supply
Sanitation
Urban Development
Roads and Bridges
Transportation
Forestry
Agriculture
Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development
Fisheries
Livelihoods
Land

Financing of RKDP

Essential funds for implementing the RKDP are raised from multiple sources. These include:

The State Budget, which includes assistance from multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, AIIB, and ADB, and other bilateral agencies like KfW, AFD, and JICA.
Central Government Natural Disaster Assistance for expenditures conforming to the modalities prescribed by the Government of India.
Flood Cess: A 1% GST on selected goods and services for two years is charged as Flood Cess.
Centrally Sponsored Schemes and various allocations under them.
Deployment of Flexi-Fund under Central Government Schemes.
Crowdfunding
Mobilisation through CMDRF
NABARD Funding through NIDA
HUDCO and other loan mechanisms
Private and non-traditional sources of institutional and retail financing, including Masala bonds, Diaspora bonds, and other private sector financial sources.

Partnership with the World Bank

The Government of Kerala, supported by the Government of India, signed a USD 250 Million loan agreement with the World Bank for the First Resilient Kerala Program. This program represents the first-ever State Partnership of the World Bank in India, emphasizing strengthening the State's institutional and financial capacity to protect the livelihoods and assets of the poor and vulnerable groups through an inclusive approach. This initiative is part of the Central Government's support to the Rebuild Kerala Development Programme, aimed at building a green and resilient Kerala. Key policy areas will be identified under this programme to maximize overall development impact.

The First Resilient Kerala Program aims to support the State with:

Improving river basin planning, water infrastructural operations, management, and water supply and sanitation services.
Promoting resilient and sustainable agriculture enhanced with risk insurance.
Improving the resilience of main road networks.
Unifying and maintaining land records in high-risk areas.
Promoting risk-based urban planning and strengthening expenditure planning by local municipal bodies.
Strengthening Kerala's fiscal and public financial management capacity.

The World Bank has supported Kerala through various other engagements, such as the Second Kerala State Transport Project, Dam Improvement Project and Rehabilitation, National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project Phase 2, National Hydrology Project, and the Kerala Local Government and Service Delivery Project. Additionally, the Bank has been working with the Government of India and the Kerala State Government since the floods struck. The World Bank played a vital role in assessing the flood impacts and offering recovery and reconstruction assistance, supporting the State in identifying policies, institutions, and systems for resilience to disaster and climate change risks.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Rebuild Kerala Development Programme.

The RKDP is a strategic method adopted by the Kerala Government to achieve a green and resilient Kerala. It encompasses cross-cutting and sector-based policies, regulatory and institutional actions, and priority investment programs essential for the resilient and sustainable recovery and rebuilding of the State after the devastating floods of 2018.

The vision of the Rebuild Kerala Initiative is to create a green and resilient Kerala with higher and ecologically safe standards of infrastructure, improved living conditions, and new major development projects that ensure people and assets can withstand the onslaught of future disasters.

The RKDP is guided by eight core principles: fast, efficient, and inclusive implementation; improving resilience; build-back-better philosophy; innovative and modern technologies; fair and equitable rehabilitation practices; capacity building; building asset management frameworks; and simplification of processes and procedures.

The RKDP focuses on key sectors such as integrated water resource management, water supply, sanitation, urban roads and bridges, transportation, forestry, agriculture, animal husbandry and dairy development, fisheries, and livelihoods.

The RKDP is being financed through multiple sources, including state budget allocations, assistance from multilateral and bilateral agencies, central government funds, flood cess, crowdfunding, NABARD funding, loans from institutions like HUDCO, and private and non-traditional financing sources.

The World Bank signed a $250 million loan agreement with the Government of Kerala for the First Resilient Kerala Program, which aims to strengthen the State's institutional and financial capacity to protect the livelihoods and assets of the poor and vulnerable groups through an inclusive approach.

The First Resilient Kerala Program aims to support the State in improving river basin planning and water infrastructure operations, promoting resilient and sustainable agriculture with risk insurance, improving the resilience of the main road networks, unifying and maintaining land records in high-risk areas, promoting risk-based urban planning, and strengthening fiscal and public financial management capacity.

Apart from the First Resilient Kerala Program, the World Bank supports Kerala through various other engagements, such as the Second Kerala State Transport Project, Dam Improvement Project, National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project Phase 2, National Hydrology Project, and the Kerala Local Government and Service Delivery Project.

The Rebuild Kerala Initiative is a unique approach taken by the Kerala Government to rebuild the State after the devastating floods of 2018. It aims to build a green and resilient Kerala where higher and ecologically safe standards of infrastructure, improved living conditions, and new major development projects ensure that people and assets can withstand future disasters.

The objective of the Rebuild Kerala Development Programme is to enable Kerala's resilient recovery and catalyze a transformational shift towards risk-informed socio-economic development through supporting sustainable communities, institutions, livelihoods, and putting in place major infrastructure.