KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

DISTRICT HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT

KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT

Introduction

� Kanniyakumari district is the smallest districtin Tamil Nadu it is referred to as “Land’s End”.Aralvoimozhi is the most important place, asa pass through which the trunk road fromTirunelveli to Nagercoil enters intoKanniyakumari district from the east. Thereare five rivers viz., Thamiraparani, Valliyu,Ponnivaikal, Pampoorivaikal and Pazhayarwhich flow in the Kanniyakumari district andthey fulfil the requirements of the district.

� Kanyakumari district is divided into tworevenue divisions viz., Padmanabhapuramand Nagercoil, having headquarters atThuckalay and Nagercoil respectively.

� The district is further divided into 4 taluks. Thetaluks are further divided into 9 blocks, whichis further divided into 81 villages. There arefour taluks viz., Agasteeswaram, Thovalai,Kalkulam and Vilavancode.

� The district has been divided into 9 blocksnamely Agasteeswaram, Thovalai,Rajakkamangalam, Kurunthencode,Thuckalay, Thiruvattar, Killiyoor, Melpuramand Munchirai.

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� The district has four municipalities viz.,Nagercoil, Padmanabhapuram, Colachel andKuzhithurai.

� The district consists of 155 Panchayats ofwhich 99 are village panchayats.

Geography

� It has a total area of 1,684 sq. km which is1.29 percent of the total area of the state.

� Kanniyakumari district is situated in thesouthernmost part of the Indian peninsulasurrounded by Kerala State in the west andNorth-West, Tirunelveli district in the Northand East, Gulf of Mannar in the South-East,Indian Ocean in the South and Arabian Seain the South-West.

Topography

� A mountainous terrain which is the north-eastern portion of the district. It includes thenorthern parts of Vilavancode and Kalkulamtaluks. This terrain has a number of admirablehilltops and a continuation of a lofty andbroader mountain range in the North.

� The natural division, which is the fertileseacoast on the South –eastern, southernand south-western parts of the district.Fringed with coconut trees, sandy lowlands,there are a few slightly elevated patches ofred cliffs.

� This division consists of the undulatingvalleys, the plains between the mountainous

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terrain and the seacoast and also there are afew streams in this region.

� In general, Kanniyakumari district slopesgently towards the West Hills MountainsSystem to which they belong, main peaks,height situation, vegetation, etc:

� The differences in altitude and climate of thehilly tract of the Kanniyakumari district havemade the vegetation of this area greatlyvaried with characteristic representation ofdifferent types of land.

� The highest hill in the Kanniyakumari districtis Mahendragiri (1654.m.) situated in Thovalaitaluk on the border of Kanniyakumari andTirunelveli districts.

Soil Condition

� The soil of Kanyakumari district can beclassified into Red Soil, Red lateritic soil,Brown soil and Coastal sand.

� The soil are mostly in-situ in nature, lateritic,earthy and pale reddish in colour. They arederived from laterisation of gneisses.

� The soil derived from gneisses is mostlybrownish. The thickness of soil in the mountsis almost negligible whereas in the valley it isaround 2 m.

� The lateritic type of soil occurs in Thiruvattar,Munchirai, Kurunthancode, Rajakkamangalam,Killiyur, Thuckalay and Melpuram blocks.

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� The mixed type of Red and alluvial soils,occur in Agastheeswaram and Thovalablocks. The coastal sand occurs in thewestern side of the district. The coastalalluvium sand is of high fertility.

Climate

� The District has a favourable agro-climaticcondition, which is suitable for growing anumber of crops.

� The proximity of equator, its topography andother climate factors favour the growth ofvarious crops. The paddy varieties grown inthe second crop season in Thovalai andAgasteeswaram taluks are grown during thefirst crop season in Kalkulam andVilavancode taluks. This shows that there isdistinct variation in the climatic conditionsprevailing within the district.

� Unlike other districts in Tamil Nadu, it has arainfall both during the South West and theNorth East monsoons. The South Westmonsoon period starts from the month of Juneand ends in September, While the North Eastmonsoon period starts from October and endsin the middle of December.

Status of Human Development

� The top three blocks in HDI in the district areThuckalay (0.893), Thiruvattur (0.830) andAgatheeswaram (0.814).

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� The bottom three blocks in the district during2014 are Melpuram (0.588), Killioor (0.558)and Thovalai (0.511).

� In Kanniyakumari district, Agateeswaram(0.015) Thovalai (0.022) and Thuckalay (0.22)are the top there blocks with the lowestgender inequality.

� Killinoor (0.064), Kurunthencode (0.048) andMunchirai (0.043) are the bottom three blockswhere gender inequality is the highest.

� The inter block variation in gender inequalityshould be overcome by focusing on the threedimensions of health, empowerment andlabor.

� The top three blocks in 2013 in CDI areThuckalay (0.249) Thiruvattur (0.239) andAgatheeswaram (0.209).

� The bottom three blocks in 2013 in CDI areRajakkamangalam (0.146), Killiyoor (0.135)and Thovalai (0.050).

� While the performance of the district in thehealth dimension is not so good, in theeducation dimension, it is really doing well.Of course, the district administration shouldpay more attention to transition rate fromupper primary level to secondary level. Onthe health front, it should take effective stepsto reduce U5MR, to improve child sex ratioand provide proper nutrition to children.

� The multidimensional poverty index isdetermined on the basis of health, educationand standard of living dimensions.

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� Thuckalay (0.148) Thiruvattar (0.183) and

Killiyoor (0.288) are the top three blocks

where the multidimensional poverty is less.

� The blocks with higher multi dimensional

poverty are Thovalai (0.552), Agastheeswaram(0.392) and Melpuram (0.362).

Employment, Income and poverty

� The total number of workers in

Kanniyakumari district increased from27.65% of the population in 2001 to 36.34%

in 2011.

� Nearly two thirds of the population come

under the category of non – workers, which

in a way, shows the flow of income fromoutside.

� In recent years, the number of cultivators in

the district has decreased and the number of

agaricultural workers has increased.

� Under MGNREGA, 1,10,137 householdshave been provided jobs. An expenditure of

Rs. 2417.2 lakh was incurred during 2013-

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� The percentage of rural and urban workersin the district constituted 38% and 36%

respectively in 2011.

� Out of the total workers in the district in 2011,

56.63 percent were male workers and 16.42percent were female workers.

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� While the male participation rate decreasedfrom 59.34 in 200l to 57.54 in 2011, the femaleparticipations rate increased from 15.10 to18.42 during the same period in rural areas.

� The urban male participation rate almostdoubled from 36.59 in 2001 to 69.57 in 2011,whereas the female participation rateincreased from 8.84 in 2001 to 15.99 in 2011.

� A shift in agricultural workers to non – farmjobs in cashew factories and fishing netfactories is noticed.

� The district has no child labor due to universalprimary and upper primary education andstrict monitoring by district administration.

� The percentage of cultivators in 2011 declinedto 0.84% from 2.93% in 2001.

� The percentage of agricultural labourersdeclined to 3.90% in 2011 from 10.36% in2001.

� The percentage of workers in householdindustry declined to 1.91% in 2011 from 4.37in 2001.

� The percentage of other workers in the districtincreased to 68.86% in 2011 from 65.72% in2001.

� There is a big drop in the registration at theEmployment office in Kanniyakumari districtfrom 26846 in 2013 to 15950 in 2014.

� The contribution of the primary sector toGDDP at constant (2004-05) prices declinedfrom 7.30 % in 2009-10 to 4.61% in 2011-12.

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� The contribution of the secondary sector tothe GDDP at constant (2004-05) pricesincreased from 46.94% in 2009-10 to 49.64%in 2011 – 12.

� The contribution of tertiary sector to GDDPremained more or less stable; it was 45.76%at constant (2004-05) prices in 2009-10 andit was 45.75% in 2011-12.

� The sectoral composition of GDDP revealsthat secondary and tertiary sectors are themain contributors to Kanniyakumari districteconomy.

� The district has witnessed steady increasein per capita income. The per capita incomeof the district increased from Rs. 42832 in2004-05 to Rs. 96070 in 2011-12 and it ishigher than the per capita income of the Statewhich was Rs. 33998 in 2004-05 and Rs.63996 in 2011-12.

� The percentage of households below povertyline (BPL) constituted 15.20% during 2013-14. Rajakkamangalam has the highestnumber of BPL households (26.99%)Followed by Munchirai (18.78%). Only 7.57%BPL households are there inAgastheeswaram.

� All the households in Kanniyakumari districthave been provided with family cards. By2014, the total number of cards issued were4,83538.

� The maximum number of households withfamily cards (1,03,321) are found in

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Rajakkamangalam because the highestnumber of BPL households are found in theblock.

� An analysis of employment, income andpoverty in Kanniyakumari district reveals thatthe district has had a steady economic growthIt is reflected in the sustained increase in percapita income year after year. It has witnessedincrease of urbanization.

� Poverty and inequality issues have beenaddressed in the district under MGNREGAand empowerment of women through SHGs.

Demography, Health and Nutrition

� The Population and Demographic TransitionPopulation of Kanniyakumari district in 2011was 18.7 lakhs.

� Rajakkamangalam, Karuthancode, Melpuramand Thuckkalay had higher population thanother blocks.

� The population density of the districtincreased from 995 in 2001 to 1119 in 2011.There are wide variations in populationdensity across the blocks. While Munchuraiblock has population density of 3022,Thovalai has the lowest population density(327).

� The district has very low proportion of SCpopulation (3.97%) in 2011 and ST populationconstituted 0.39% in the same year.

� The Crude Birth Rate of the district in 2012 –13 was 10.32 and in 2013-14, it declined to

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9.30. Among the blocks, Thovalai block hasthe highest CBR (12.63).

� Family planning and healthcare programmesin the district have helped reduce the CBR.

� The CDR of the district marginally declinedfrom 5.96 in 2012-13 to 5.61 in 2013-14.Thovalai block had the highest CDR (7.29)in 2013 -14 followed by Thiruvattar (6.34)killiyoor (6.28) and Munchirai (6.05).

� The sex ratio of the district in 2011 was 1019.

� Melpuram block had the highest sex ratio(1034), followed by Killioor (1025). Relativelylower sex ratio (1003) is found inKurunthancode (1003).

� While the sex ratio of SC population during2011 is slightly lower (1016) than that of thedistrict sex ratio (1019).

� Child sex ratio refers to the sex ratio ofpopulation in the age group 0-6. The childsex ratio of the district in 2011 was 964. It isslightly lower than the child sex ratio in 2001(968).

� Life expectancy at birth for the male in thedistrict. Increased from 67 in 2001 to 70.07in 2013-14. Life expectancy at birth for thefemale increased from 70 in 2001 to 77.7 in2011.

� Special attention is needed for geriatric careand their welfare in future.

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� The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) inKanniyakumari district during 2013-14 was9. In 2014, Thovalai block recorded thehighest IMR (15.45), followed byAgasteeswaram (10.79) and Muncharai(9.72). The remaining six blocks recordedlower IMR than the district IMR.

� Some of the important steps taken to bringdown the IMR include 1. Strengthening of theinter facility transfer 2. Provision of NeonatalAmbulance service 3. Subjecting the infantdeaths to audit by empowered sub –committee. In this sub – committee, the casesof infant deaths are analysed and steps aretaken to avoid death due to the same cause4. Tracking of higher order births 5. Earlyreferral of neonatal infants to NICU and PICUand tracking of high risk ante - natal mothersand early referral to centres for safe delivery.

� Maternal mortality is a crucial indicator of awoman’s health as well as gender justice. TheMMR in the district decreased from 37 in2012-13 to 30 in 2013-14.

� The highest MMR of 78 in reports on Killiyoor,followed by Rajakkamangalam (49)Melpuram (46) Thiruvattar (44) and Munchirai(41).

� Though the district administration has takena number of steps such as audit of maternaldeaths, strengthening of CeMONC centres,early registration of AN mothers and trackingof all high risk mothers, early referral of all

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high risk mothers to CeMONC centre for safeconfinement and establishment of bloodstorage centres, there is need for moreeffective measures to reduce MMR in thedistrict.

� During 2013-14, the district recorded 100percent institutional deliveries. It denotes theavailability of good medical facilities in thehospitals.

� The improvement in infrastructure,conversion of 24 hours delivery care in PHCs,CeMONC centre concept, tracking of high riskmothers, early and timely referral,establishment of blood storage facilities inUG PHCS have improved institutionaldeliveries.

� 67% of deliveries are done in the privatesector. As the delivery cost is high in privatehospitals, there is need for providing moreand better delivery facilities in the publicsector.

� Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) was launchedon 12-04-2005 under National Rural HealthMission (NRHM) It is government of India’sflagship health programme. The scheme isa safe motherhood intervention and seeks toreduce maternal and neo – natal mortality bypromoting institutional delivery. The cashassistance is given to mother for her careduring delivery or to meet incidental expensesof delivery.

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� The Still Birth Rate (SBR) of the district in2013-14 was 5.2.There are wide variationsin SBR across the blocks.

� Thovalai had the highest Still Birth Rate (7.67)in 2013-14 in the district and Killiyoor had thelowest SBR(2.32) in the same year. Thereasons for high SBR in some blocks are lackof pre-marriage counselling, malnutrition andanaemia among mothers, status of womenhealth and poor maternal healthcare.

� In the area of immunization, Kanniyakumaridistrict has a successful record. Thepercentage of children immunized was 97.3%.

� At the block level, the percentage ofimmunization coverage was less in Killiyoor(93.08%) Munchirai (93.09%) and Thovalai(94.16%).

� In Rajakkamangalam and Thiruvattar 100%of the children had been immunized.

� Tamil Nadu government aims at eradicatingsevere malnutrition and reducing theincidence of micronutrient deficienciesamong the children.

� The Integrated Child Development Scheme(ICDS) aims at providing 100 percent nutritionto all the children.

� There are 1,401 centres in the district whichimplement the ICDS.

� Kanniyakumari has more or less succeededin eradicating malnutrition and reducing the

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incidence of micronutrient deficiency amongthe children.

� Weekly Iron and Folic Acid supplementation(IFS) programme is being implemented allover the country to reduce the prevalence ofnutritional anaemia among adolescent girls.

� The main component of the programme isdistribution and consumption of IFA tabletsto all the adolescent girls in schools, and inAnganwadi centres, and to girls (10-19 years)who are out of school.

� The scheme is successfully implemented inKanniyakumari district. During 2013-14, 98%of women, 79% of children, and 98% ofadolescent girls took IFA tablets in the district.

� Kanis’ are the main tribal group inKanniyakumari district. Members of theMobile outreach programme funded by theTamil Nadu Health system project makesweekly visits to the settlements for providinghealthcare services.

� Non – Nutritional Factors and their Impact onNutrition. Safe drinking water is provided toa very large section of the population. During2013-14, 94% of households were providedwith safe drinking water in the district.

� Melpuram and Thovalai are in hilly tracts. Inthese two blocks, only 92.15 and 90.66percent of households are provided with safedrinking water. So, there is need for provisionof safe drinking water in all the households isthese blocks.

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� During 2013-14, 93.36% of households hadtoilet facilities. The district administration ismaking all efforts to reach the 100 percenttarget of providing toilet facilities in allhouseholds in the district.

� Rajakkamangalam, Agastheeswaram andThovalai blocks face some special problemsin providing access to toilet facilities. PeopleStay in coconut farms and other – farms donot have patta (title deed) for their lands. Theystay in the land of the owners of these farmsand hence they are not able to avail thebenefits or incentives provided for theconstruction of toilets in their houses. Not onlythat, some people live in huts built onencroached lands or on the land near thebanks of channels, ponds and on roadside.The district administration should find a wayout to help these people have access to toiletfacilities liter in their households.

� There are 12 hospitals, 3 dispensaries 31primary health centres, 42 allopathy hospitals,130 ayurvedic hospitals, 187 homepathichospitals in the district.

� The Kanniyakumari Medical college hospitalis spreading awareness of community healthmedicine.

� As a result of the effective steps taken by thedistrict administration, the number of AIDSinfection among men and women declinedfrom 219 and 150 respectively to 105 and 58respectively in 2014.

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� In Kanniyakumari district, there was only amarginal decline in the number of positiveT.B. persons from 755 in 2011-12 to 752 in2013-14.

� The number of leprosy cases in the districtmarginally decreased from 59 in 2011-12 to57 in 2013-14.

Literacy and Education

� The literacy rate of Kanniyakumari districtincreased from 87.55% in 2001 to 91.75% in2011.

� Blockwise, Agastheeswaram has the highestliteracy rate (92.01) followed by Thuckalay(90.91) and Rajakkamangalam (90.61).

� The highest male literacy rate is found inRajakkamagalam (98.29%).

� The lowest male literacy rate is found inMunchirai (91.25%).

� Female literacy rate is low in Munchirai(87.40%) and Thovalai (87.50%).

� The disparity in male and female literacy ratein the district during 2001 and 2011 camedown. The literacy rate of male and femaleincreased from 90.37% and 84.79% in 2001to 93.65% and 89.99% respectively.

� With a little more effort by the districtadministration, 100 percent literacy rate forboth male and female population can beachieved in the district.

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� The gross Enrolment Rate (GER) in primaryeducation in Kanniyakumari district during2013-14 is nearly 100 percent (99.57).

� There is only marginal difference betweenboys and girls in enrolment rate. The ratesare 99.73 and 99.75 respectively.

� It is encouraging to note thatRajakkamaganalam, Thovalai and Melpuramblocks with lower enrolment rates of 87.99%89.44% and 93.08 respectively in 2001increased their enrolment to 99.49% and99.31% in 2011 respectively. This has beenmade possible by the increase in enrolmentof girls due to various measures adopted bydistrict administration.

� The completion rate at primary level in thedistrict during 2013-14 was 98.04. For boys,during 2013-14, the completion rate was97.42% and for girls, it was 98.74.

� At the block level, the completion rate is lowerin Rajakkamangalam (94.77%) and Thovalai(96.99%) blocks.

� The dropout rate is minimal at primary levelin Kanniyakumari district during 2013-14; itwas 0.44. The dropout rate is relatively highat Agastheswaram (0.92) andRajakkamangalam (0.59).

� With a little more effort by districtadministration, the dropout rate can bereduced to zero.

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� The enrolment rate at upper primary level inthe district during 2013-14 was 99.37. All theblocks in the district had more than 99%enrolment during 2013-14.

� In 2013-14, the completion rate at upperprimary level in the district was 97.13. Forboys, the completion rate in 2013-14 was98.43 and for boys, it was 95.31. Blockwisecompletion rate is slightly lower in Thovalai(96.50) and in Killiyoor (96.90) blocks.

� The dropout rate at upper primary level during2013-14 was 0.95. The dropout rate for boysduring 2013-14 (0.95) is found to be greaterthan that of the girls (0.75).

� The overall analysis of dropout rate for theblocks reveals that Agastheeswaram (1.12)Karuthencode (1.12) Melpuram (1.04) andThovalai (1.00) have higher dropout rateamong the blocks.

� The transition rate from primary to upperprimary level in the district during 2013-14was almost 100 percent (99.80).

� There is not much difference in the transitionrate between boys (99.85) and girls (99.78).

� It is heartening to note that all the blocksachieved more than 99 percent transition rateduring 2013-14.

� In the district, in 2014 for 3646 habitations,there were 568 primary schools and 149upper primary schools. Pupil - teacher Ratioat Primary and Upper Primary Level.

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� The Pupil – Teacher Ratio (PTR) at primarylevel decreased from 26 in 2012-13 to 23 in2013-14.

� At the upper primary level, the PTRdecreased from 27 in 2012-13 to 20 in 2013-14. Secondary school Enrolment.

� In Kanniyakumari district, the total enrolmentat secondary level during 2013-14 was95.26.There is only marginal difference in theenrolment of boys (95.11) and girls (95.13)Dropouts in Secondary Education.

� The dropout rate at secondary level in thedistrict during 2013-14 was 0.08 we find thatthe dropout rate for boys during 2013-14 ishigher (0.11) than that of girls (0.07).

� A major reason for dropout, especially amongboys, is they go for employment in brick kilns,cashew nut factory, and construction industryand the number of boys engaged in work isunder-reported.

� There is need for spreading greaterawareness among families about theadvantages of secondary and highereducation.

� The number of students in hostels in thedistrict in 2014 is 698.

� There are 14 Adi – Dravidar welfare hostels.In these hostels, 593, inmates (students) arestaying.

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� During 2013-14, in the district, there were 24Arts and Science colleges, 31 Engineeringcolleges, 27 Polytechnic colleges and 76other institutions. This shows thatKanniyakumari district has good educationalinfrastructure at higher education level.

� There is need for developing appropriatevocational skills at higher secondary level inthe vocational stream.

GenderGender

� Women constituted half of the population(50.47) of the district in 2011.

� The sex ratio of the district at 1019 was higherthan that of the state (995).

� The female literacy rate of the district (89.89)was higher than the state rate (73.86).

� The percentage of women workers inagricultural sector in 2011 was 16.42.

� The MMR of the district during 2013-14 at 30is less than that of the state at 68.

� The institutional delivery in the district is 100percent.

� There are variations in agricultural wage rateacross the blocks. The average femaleagricultural wage rate is Rs. 203. Agriculturalwages of women are high in Thiruvattar andMelpuram blocks (Rs.250 in each block) andthe lowest wage rate is reported inKurthencode (Rs. 150 per day).

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� At the block level, while Rajakkamangalamhas low participation of women in agriculture(14.61), in Thovalai it is the highest amongthe blocks (20.55).

� The Self – Help groups (SHGs) have becomevery popular in the district. The SHGs aim atmaking women effective agents of change.They also provide livelihood opportunities forvillage women through micro credit with theexisting banks in the area.

� Mahalir Thittam has created awarenessamong women of their own strength,resources and abilities to face risks.

� The total number of SHGs in 2011-12 was1450 with a membership of 29,000.

� The various schemes in Kanniyakumaridistrict for the advancement and empowermentof women are Revolving fund, Credit Linkage,Entrepreneur Development Training, YouthSkill Training, and Bulk loans.

� About 2478 beneficiaries have been giventhrough Entrepreneurship and 1314 YouthSkill Training in the district. The beneficiarieshave saved Rs. 124.74.

� The percentage of female participation in thegovernance of local Bodies is 36.21.

Social Security

In Kanniyakumari district, the aged population(population aged above 60+) constituted 12.13percent in 2011. There are 65,364 pensioner

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benefitted through different schemes as on31.3.2015.

� The percentage of the aged population is thehighest (16.77%) in Thovalai block, followedby Melpuram (16.68%).

� Rajakkamangalam has the lowestpercentage (6.52%) of aged population.

� The blocks where the population of agedpopulation is high needs more focus onfinancial support and healthcare.

� A new scheme called ‘Amma Thittam’ wasstarted on April, 2013 in the district. Thescheme is beneficial to the public to addresstheir problems at a faster pace and providessocial security and economic welfare. Nearly,68,000 persons benefited by July 2013 in thedistrict.

� The entire differently-abled population in theKanniyakumari district is 31,996, out of which17,739 are males and 14,270 are females.

� Marriage and Maternity assistance isprovided in the district under differentschemes. They include MoovalurRamanvirtham Ammaiyar Ninaivu MarriageAssistance scheme, Dr. Dharmambal NinaivuWidows Ramariage Assistance Scheme,E.V.R. Maniammaiyar Ninaivu. MarriageAssistance Scheme for daughter of poorwidows, Annai Theresa Ninaivu MarriageAssistance scheme for boys and girls andDr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Ninaivu inter – caste(Marriage) Assistance scheme.

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� Cruelty by husband (658 recorded cases) andharassment of women (1270 cases) puttogether accounted for the largest number ofcases of crime against women during 2007to 2014. It is encouraging to note that crueltyby husband decreased from 118 in 2013 to56 in 2014.

Infrastructure

� Infrastructure plays a crucial role in promotingeconomic growth.

� Though Kanniyakumari district has sufficientroad length, sustainability of roads is a majorproblem since the roads are not laid for longterm view of maintenance.

� In Kanniyakumari district, by 2013 – 14, 104revenue villages, 2148 hamlets and 55 townshad electricity.

� Two power houses, namely Hydro KodayarPower House I and Kodayar power House IIsupply electricity to Kanniyakumari district.

� Telecommunication has evolved as a basicinfrastructure like electricity, roads and waterand also emerged as one of the criticalcomponents of economic growth.

� During 2007-08 to 2012-13, 44 telephoneexchanges were setup.

� The number of BSNL PCOs increased from4494 in 2007-08 to 5836 in 2008-09 butsubsequently and steadily declined to 2170in 2012-13 due to increase in the usage ofmobile phones.

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� The mobile connections in the district had aphenomenal growth in the district.

� During 2013-14, the district had 197cooperative societies with a membership of4.56 lakh.

� The district had 232 commercial banks with11 lakh account holders.

� Killiyoor had the maximum number of bankaccount holders (1,64,000) KuzhithuraiMunicipality had the least number of accountholders (17.000).

� In view of the subsidies and pensions andother kinds of financial assistance providedby government, it would be to the advantageof each member of the household to have abank account.

� In Kanniyakumari district, during 2012-13,there were 4 branches of United IndiaInsurance, 2 branches of Oriental InsuranceCompany Ltd. 4 branches of Life InsuranceCorporation, one branch each of NationalInsurance Company Ltd and the new IndiaInsurance company Ltd. In 2012-13, 205915policies were issued in the district.

� Kannyakumari district has good roadtransport system.

� In the TNSTC (TNCS) Ltd., Nagercoil Region,there are 12 depots in Kanniyakumari districtwith a total fleet of 897.

� The district is connected well by Railways.There are a wide range of train facilities

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available from Kanniyakumari district todifferent parts of the state and the country.

� From Nagercoil town, there are 30 trainsgoing to different cities and there are 13 trainsfrom Kanniyakumari to different parts of thecountry. And there are 30 trains moving in andaround to neighbouring district, includingshuttle trains of the state.

� The Kanniyakumari district is provided withAirway transport from Thiruvananthapuram,which is 60 km from Kanniyakumari districtheadquarters with a national and internationalterminal.

� The district is in need of an Airport nearKanniyakumari in order to improve theeconomy of the district, increase jobopportunities and to provide easyaccessibility.

� There are two dams, viz., Pechipparai andPerunchani and a network of channels forirrigating 25,900 ha in the district. The systemdiverts water from Kodayar to Palayar.

� Neyyar system is another river basin division.

� Mukkudal is one of the oldest dams in thedistrict.

� There are three important rivers in ecosystems,which confluence with Arabian sea inKanniyakumari. They are Thengapattinamesteem, Valliyar estuary and Manakudyestuary.

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� Wedge Bank is a fertile fishing source whererich marine biological diversity occurs, whererich fish food organisms are available and thewater depth of the region is low.

� Kanniyakumari is one of the 20 wedge banksin the entire maritime countries of the world.

� There is a fishing harbour at Colachel. TheGovernment of India has approved theconstruction of fishing harbour atThengapattinam in Kanniyakumari destrict atan estimated cost of Rs. 40 crore.

� There is also a fishing harbour project atMuttom under Build, Operate and Transfersystem.

� Similarly, Fishing Harbour project under Build,Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) systemis underway at Rajakkamangalam andManakudy.

Conclusion

� Kanniyakumari district is one of theprogressive districts in the state in terms ofliteracy and education and health. The percapita income of the district is higher than thatof the state. It provides lot of employmentopportunities for both men and women in thefarm sector as well was non –farm sector.Gender inequality is less in the district. It hasmany schemes for social security and it hasgood infrastructure.

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� Though the district as a whole presents acheerful picture, in many dimensions of HDI,GII, CDI and MPI there are wide variations inthe indices and this is a matter for concern.The administration should focus on the blocksat the bottom in terms of the indices.

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