He recalled the circumstances that led him to explore the life problems of working people for the first time in his youth. John Kurien begins this sermon. It was a turning point in his life when he realized that the process of selling fish by sea to fishermen was difficult and that the fishermen had no rights over their products. He says that he learned three things about development from this experience – one, identifying people’s self-esteem, not what they need but self-reliance. Second, try to find people’s real and basic needs rather than their temporary needs. Through this process, people become active subjects in development. Third, ensure their active participation in any decision that touches people’s lives. This will lead to collective empowerment of the people. These lessons were taught by a bishop who was involved in the fishermen’s organization. This is closely related to the claim-based approach that Amartya Sen later described. Fishermen in Kerala have long been incapable of detecting and resisting exploitation. They could not organize for their common rights. The Left has little interest in organizing them because they are retail producers. They did not have great leaders capable of social empowerment. For the state, the development of the fisheries sector is the modernization of fishing technology – the creation of cooperatives at the top, export assistance and infrastructure development for coastal fisheries. It is only after the 1980s that the quality of the fish population has changed. With the help of civil society activists irrespective of caste and creed, they were able to create the first political formation that was really out of the party system in Kerala. Their move was against the application of environmentally damaging technology to fisheries. This experience has taught us that rights-based development is not a gift from top to bottom. But rights-based development requires a diligent social organization and caution. Otherwise the citizens will be reduced from being citizens to beneficiaries. In the case of developmental emergencies, they appear in a variety of ways – in the form of storms, seasickness, tsunamis, and unexpected tides. The government’s response to these is to focus only on short-term reasons – the underlying causes are ignored. The problem is that the fishing community has no right over the coastal land, and that is the most fundamental problem. Even when tsunami funds were plentiful, the government refused to buy enough land for the people. None of the fishermen’s organizations had much to do. It is common for people in the fisheries sector to postpone rights and adopt policies that promote beneficiaries in the face of developmental emergencies. People who are going through a severe crisis and have no other option are left with the attitude. Basic issues are ignored. But there have been some positive changes in the recent past. By 2020, the current LDF government has begun addressing the basic problem of safe shelter for coastal communities. Covid pandemic is the first state of emergency in Kerala’s ecosystem. Despite the threat of disease outbreaks in the presence of a large population of coastal dwellers in the Gulf, fortunately this has not happened yet. The state banned harbor-based fishing – as a result of some suggestions and a little pressure. But Kerala was the first state to allow fishing in small, rural villages. This was done by keeping physical distance between the boats and the beach. Seafarers were banned. Some important experiments were carried out in April and May. Only two or three laborers were allowed to fish with small nets in small boats. The prices went unchanged, without auctions and by weight. The token method was implemented for buyers. These experiments yielded mixed results. Setting prices has been very beneficial for fishermen. But in some cases the women involved in fishing were unable to afford the fish – all the fish were bought by big traders. Elsewhere, special quota for women was reserved. Although the National Fish Workers Forum has asked the central government to provide assistance to the families of fishermen by Rs. 10,000 per month, it is only a matter of Rs. Full Video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWsVmwTThw8&feature=youtu.be