Harithakeralam Mission, one of the four flagship development missions of the Government of Kerala under Navakeralam Karma Padhathi, was launched on December 8th 2016 with the vision of building a clean, green, and sustainable Kerala through coordinated action in water conservation, sanitation and waste management, and agriculture. Guided by its motto “Water, Hygiene, and Harvest,” the Mission functions as a convergence platform connecting various departments, agencies, and Local Self Government Institutions to promote environmental sustainability through community participation. 

Harithakeralam Mission could make remarkable achievements during the past nine years in all the sectors. Many of the initiatives are unique and appreciated by stake holders across the State. Government of India and other States has shown keen interest in the new initiatives launched by the mission. Kerala has institutionalized door to door waste collection and processing through a structured system established by Harithakeralam Mission. Harithakarma sena (Green work force) is now engaged in collection, segregation and management of waste across the State. We also have decentralized bio waste processing system using latest available technology. The Mission took the initiative to prepare watershed plans for all the watersheds in the State. For the first time in India, the State has prepared ‘water budget’ for the LSGIs. Under Mapathon Keralam, Mission has mapped streams in the Highland Regions of the State using accurate satellite imagery as part of its action plan to make the Western Ghats safe from mudflows and landslides. Under ‘Ini njan ozhukatte’ (Now, let me flow) campaign Kerala has rejuvenated  53190 Km of its stream network. A planned initiative in greening the State under the ‘Pachathuruthu’ (Green islets) program saw creation of 4107 green islets in 1291 acres of land. This year, Mission took up an ambitious campaign to plant one crore saplings across the State. The campaign was a huge success as the target was reached beforehand. ‘Net zero carbon keralam janangaliloode’ (Net zero carbon Kerala through public participation) is the flagship program of the Mission for achieving net zero status by the year 2050. Scientific and structured program for this campaign is underway. 

It is considered beneficial at this stage to present the activities undertaken by Kerala before experts working in each thematic area in the country and to receive their guidance. Along with this, it is also necessary to understand the green employment opportunities in this sector, the availability of climate funds, and related aspects in order to decide on future actions.