The Great Turnaround of Keralam, from Disasters to Development 

It all began with a deluge that swallowed homes and roads. The spectre soon spiralled into a pandemic that halted life itself. But what Keralam did next is what sets it apart: a steady, calculated climb back to strength and development.

Between 2016 and 2021, the state faced some of the toughest challenges in its history. Two massive floods tore through every sector, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovery was never going to be easy. Yet five years on, Keralam shows almost no visible trace of the unprecedented crises it endured.

A state under siege

The 2018 flood, widely called the flood of the century, displaced 403,735 families who were moved to relief camps. As many as 15,312 houses were completely destroyed, while 301,258 suffered damage in varying degrees. Infrastructure took a massive hit. Roads spanning 9,065 kilometers were damaged or washed away. The disaster affected 106 hospitals, 187 schools and 339 anganwadis.

The power sector was left crippled, with 3,006 kilometers of electric lines damaged, 25,906 poles and 880 transformers destroyed. As many as 965,272 electrical connections were cut off. Agriculture too suffered deeply, with around 1.5 lakh hectares of crops destroyed.

Even as the state began picking up the pieces, another major flood struck in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic followed in 2020, tightening its grip across Keralam. The Chooralmala disaster added to the strain two years ago. It was a relentless sequence of crises. Yet today, there is little to suggest that Keralam had been battered so severely.

Holding the line

At the heart of this recovery was a combination of financial management and a strong welfare push. During the COVID period, free food kits and a range of welfare measures ensured that people remained supported. Welfare pensions were increased to Rs 2,000 per month, with Rs 14,500 crore set aside in a single year for distribution. Over the past decade, Rs 85,638 crore has been disbursed as welfare pensions.

Even in the middle of multiple crises, the government ensured that salaries and pensions including those of its employees were paid on time. Not a single day saw the treasury closed. This occured at a time when even due funds and entitlements from the central government were withheld and the state’s borrowing limits were cut down.

Counting every rupee

Despite these constraints, Keralam pressed ahead with disciplined financial management. Over five years, the state generated an additional Rs 1,27,747 crore in own tax revenue and Rs 28,598 crore in non-tax revenue. It is now among eight states whose own revenue accounts for more than 60 percent of total revenue. In four years, the government also reduced the ratio of debt to domestic production by nearly five percentage.

Welfare and healthcare remained central to the state’s people-oriented strategy. Under the Karunya Health Security Scheme, more than 1.5 crore people across 42 lakh families were given free treatment. Salaries of frontline workers including ASHA workers, anganwadi staff, and helpers were increased. New schemes extended monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to women aged 35 to 60 and to young job seekers aged 18 to 30.

Building through the storm

It may be noted that development never took a back seat during this tough journey, which, however, placed a strong emphasis on welfare schemes. Through KIIFB, the government ensured that infrastructure projects moved forward at a diligent pace. Each project was executed with efficiency far greater than that of conventional budget-funded work. KIIFB is currently implementing projects worth Rs 1.10 lakh crore in a decade, which would otherwise have taken 25 years.

This twin focus on welfare and development became the defining feature of the government’s approach, and its overall fiscal management and discipline amid crises surprised one and all. Even as floods and the pandemic weakened production and service sectors and led to dips in revenue, the government did not buckle. Instead, it expanded support systems while pushing ahead with long-term infrastructure development.

What emerges from this period is a model of governance rooted in resilience. The Pinarayi Vijayan Government did not merely respond to crises; it used them to reshape the state’s trajectory. Welfare schemes ensured that no section was left behind, while development projects rebuilt and strengthened the economy.

Growth without pause

Today, Keralam stands as a compelling example of what steady leadership and disciplined planning can achieve. The scars of floods and the disruptions of a pandemic have been replaced by signs of recovery and growth. What could have set the state back by decades has instead propelled it ahead by decades.

Keralam’s journey through crises to recovery is not just about survival. It is about transformation driven by foresight, financial discipline and commitment to people.

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Published – March 30, 2026 03:36 pm IST