Social Security Policies, Programmes and Schemes in Kerala

Abstract

Kerala has a long history of providing social security to a large part of its population, and its welfare system rests on four pillars: insurance, pension, the welfare fund boards and the integrated Ashraya programme. The Kerala Social Security Mission (KSSM), under the Social Justice Department, plays a central part in implementing the state’s social security schemes. This paper surveys more than twenty such schemes, including Snehapurvam for orphans, Vayomithram for the elderly, Karunya and Cancer Suraksha for the seriously ill, Samaswasam for those with chronic disease, Mittayi for children with juvenile diabetes, and Anuyatra and UDID for persons with disabilities. Drawing on the Mission’s financial data for the years 2021-22 to 2023-24, the paper groups the schemes by the beneficiary groups they serve, sets out their financial details, and analyses the relationship between the funds allocated, the funds actually distributed and the number of beneficiaries reached. It finds that the schemes have wide reach but that a recurring gap between allocation and expenditure, and a mismatch between funds and beneficiary numbers, point to administrative and budgeting weaknesses that the Mission will need to address