Kerala Vision 2047 must be tested not by how it uplifts large, politically visible communities, but by how it transforms the lives of the smallest and least documented Scheduled Castes. The Bakuda community represents one such group. Numerically small, socially invisible, and often lost within aggregated Scheduled Caste statistics, Bakudas require a sharply focused empowerment strategy. An exclusive vision for the Bakuda community must therefore be data-conscious, outcome-driven, and ethically uncompromising. By 2047, the objective is full convergence of Bakuda living standards with Kerala averages across health, education, income, housing, and dignity.
The Bakuda population in Kerala is estimated to be below 5,000 individuals statewide, scattered across a limited number of districts with weak spatial concentration. In most taluks, Bakuda households number in the dozens rather than hundreds, which has historically resulted in administrative neglect. Kerala Vision 2047 must begin by correcting this invisibility. By 2027, the state should complete a dedicated Bakuda socio-economic census covering 100 percent of households, mapping land ownership, housing condition, education status, health indicators, income sources, and skill levels. Without this baseline, policy will continue to misfire.
Housing is the first structural deficit facing Bakuda families. Current estimates suggest that nearly 35 to 40 percent of Bakuda households live in semi-permanent or structurally weak housing, often on encroached or insecure land. Kerala Vision 2047 must commit to achieving 100 percent secure housing for Bakudas by 2035. This includes clear land titles or long-term habitation rights for every household, with a minimum housing standard of 500 square feet, sanitation access, electricity, drinking water, and road connectivity. Given the small population size, the total housing requirement is unlikely to exceed 1,200 units statewide, making this an entirely achievable target within one decade.
Health outcomes among Bakudas reflect chronic neglect rather than acute crises. Available field reports indicate higher-than-average prevalence of anemia, untreated chronic illness, and substance dependency. Infant and maternal health indicators are often undocumented due to underreporting. Vision 2047 must ensure that by 2030, 100 percent of Bakuda families are covered under a named primary healthcare system, with assigned health workers responsible for continuous monitoring. By 2047, Bakuda life expectancy, maternal mortality, and child nutrition indicators must match the Kerala state average, not merely improve in isolation.
Education is where the smallest communities face the greatest risk of generational erasure. Bakuda children are often enrolled in nearby government schools but face social isolation, irregular attendance, and early dropout. Current estimates suggest that fewer than 10 percent of Bakuda youth reach higher secondary education, and less than 3 percent enter higher education. Kerala Vision 2047 must reverse this trajectory. By 2035, secondary school completion among Bakuda students should exceed 90 percent. By 2047, at least 25 percent of Bakuda youth should hold a diploma, degree, or professional certification. Given the small cohort size, this requires mentorship-based interventions rather than mass schemes, with named scholarships, residential schooling options, and compulsory tracking of outcomes.
Livelihood insecurity remains a core constraint. Bakuda adults are disproportionately represented in casual labour, sanitation-related work, and seasonal employment with average monthly incomes estimated between ₹7,000 and ₹10,000 in real terms. Vision 2047 must ensure a minimum income floor. By 2030, at least one member of every Bakuda household must have access to stable employment or assured livelihood support. By 2047, average household income among Bakudas should rise to at least 80 percent of Kerala’s median household income, adjusted for inflation. This requires targeted skill pipelines rather than generic training programs.
Skill development for Bakudas must be tightly aligned with guaranteed absorption. Sectors such as municipal services, waste processing, water management, electrical maintenance, healthcare assistance, and logistics offer realistic entry points. Kerala Vision 2047 should reserve a minimum of 500 structured apprenticeship and contract roles statewide for Bakuda youth over the next 20 years. Given population size, this would be sufficient to structurally transform employment patterns within the community. Progression pathways must be built so Bakuda workers are promoted into supervisory and technical roles rather than remaining trapped at entry levels.
Financial exclusion continues to limit mobility. Many Bakuda families lack access to institutional credit, insurance, or long-term savings instruments. By 2028, Kerala Vision 2047 must ensure 100 percent financial inclusion for Bakuda households, including bank accounts, insurance coverage, and pension access. By 2047, at least 30 percent of Bakuda households should own productive assets beyond housing, such as vehicles, tools, or equity in cooperatives. Small-scale enterprise development, even if limited to 200 to 300 viable units statewide, can fundamentally alter economic confidence.
Social dignity is the least quantifiable but most decisive dimension of empowerment. Bakudas often experience layered invisibility rather than overt hostility, which leads to quiet exclusion from community spaces and decision-making. Vision 2047 must explicitly include Bakuda representation in ward sabhas, beneficiary committees, and district-level advisory boards. Even a guaranteed minimum of one Bakuda representative per district can radically alter administrative sensitivity. Cultural documentation and inclusion in school curricula can further correct historical erasure.
Women within the Bakuda community face compounded vulnerabilities. Female literacy and workforce participation rates are lower than Kerala averages, and access to reproductive healthcare remains inconsistent. Kerala Vision 2047 must ensure universal maternal healthcare coverage and targeted livelihood support for Bakuda women through self-help groups and cooperative enterprises. By 2047, at least 40 percent of Bakuda households should have women as primary income earners or co-owners of assets, ensuring gender-balanced empowerment.
Youth aspiration building is critical. Bakuda youth often inherit low expectations due to the absence of visible role models. Vision 2047 must invest in exposure programs, digital access, sports, arts, and leadership development. Even a cohort of 100 to 150 Bakuda professionals across Kerala by 2047 would have a transformative psychological effect on the community’s future trajectory.
Kerala Vision 2047 for the Bakuda community is not a question of scale but of intent. With a small population, clear data, and focused investment, full convergence is achievable within a generation. If Kerala succeeds in uplifting the Bakudas to parity in housing, health, education, income, and dignity, it will demonstrate that its development model is not merely progressive in rhetoric, but precise, humane, and complete in execution.
