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The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Muslim representation in govt. jobs abysmal in Kerala, says study
Representation of Muslims in Central government and State government jobs in Kerala is abysmally low in comparison with their population numbers, says a study by the Kerala Sasthra Sahitya Parishad. The report covering the socio-economic and political changes in the State between 2004 and 2019, titled 'Kerala Studies 2.0', was released recently. The section on jobs and livelihood in the study points out that though Muslims constitutes 27.3% of the population in 2019, their representation in State government jobs was just 13.8%. The percentage of lack of representation is 98.2. In 2004, they constituted 26.9% of the population and only 11.4% of the government employees belonged to the community. The percentage of lack of representation was 136. Though 30.2% of the sample size in the survey in 2019 belonged to the Muslim community, their representation in Central government jobs was found to be just 1.8%. In terms of the population, their lack of representation in Central jobs, including that of the armed forces, was a staggering 1,578%. The survey says that in State government jobs, the lack of representation of Muslims is 91%. In the case of Scheduled Castes communities, their representation in population was 9% and 9.1%, respectively, in 2004 and 2019. But, their representation in government jobs in those years was 7.6% and 8.5%, respectively. The Scheduled Tribes constituted 1.2% of the population in 2004 and 1% in 2019, but their representation in government jobs remained 0.8%. Hindu upper caste communities, however, are over-represented in State government jobs by 83% and in Central jobs by 128%. The report points out that 26% of the sample size population, who don't get any reservation benefits, corner 39.9% of the government jobs (Central government 45.5% and State government 38.2%). Along with it, they also get 10% quota under the Economically Weaker Sections category, leading to an 'increased imbalance'. According to the survey, in 2004, upper caste Hindus constituted 24.1% of the population. Their representation in State government jobs was 13.8%. In 2019, their population plummeted to 15.2% and the representation in government jobs was 26.7%. Hindu backward classes constituted 28.5% and 31.2% of the population, respectively, in 2004 and 2019, and their representation in government jobs in those years was 30.4% and 33.6%. Christians constituted 18.3% of the population in 2004 and their representation in government jobs was 20.6%. In 2019, upper class Christians constituted 12.2% and lower class Christians constituted 4% of the population. Their representation in government jobs was 12.4% and 4.2% respectively.
The Hindu
13-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Fewer people falling sick in Kerala, but annual treatment costs rising, says study
As many as 206 people in a population of 1,000 used to fall sick every two weeks in Kerala in 1987. In 2004, this came down to 79, and it further dropped to 74 in 2019. However, the cost of treatment per episode rose from ₹17 in 1987 to ₹234 in 2019. The per capita annual medical treatment cost during the period rose from ₹89 to ₹678. While the fall in number of the sick could be a result of the reduced rate of infectious disease outbreaks, the rise in per capita annual medical treatment cost could be due to a rise in lifestyle diseases that require expensive treatment and a high life expectancy, says 'Kerala Studies 2.0' released by the Kerala Sasthra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) here on Sunday (July 13). The study notes that the cost of treatment per episode did not go up much between 2004 and 2019, probably because of the improved facilities in public health institutions. 'Kerala Studies 2.0' is a detailed survey of the changes that happened in the State's socio-economic and political spheres between 2004 and 2019. It is a sequel to a similar study conducted in 2004 and released in 2006. The participants were divided into extremely poor, poor, lower middle class, and upper middle class categories. The study was conducted by a team led by K.P. Aravindan, a public health expert and former Head of the Department of Pathology, Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode. A team led by T.P. Kunhikannan, former State president, KSSP, collected the data. According to the study, Kerala is fast becoming a society dominated by the middle class. There has been a 356.6% increase in the cost of buying consumer durables in the period. Houses with air-conditioners rose from 1% of the population to 10%. The main causes of indebtedness are the wedding expenses of girls and unexpected catastrophic health expenditure. People are found to have been more contented with the performance of local body institutions and State government institutions than Central government institutions. In 2004, more people said that the Central government institutions were better. Former Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac released the book by handing over a copy to popular science activist K. Sreedharan.
