Governmentality, Active Citizenship and Marginalisation: The Case of Rural Drinking Water supply in Kerala, India

People’s participation is a buzz word in the development agenda of the national and international agencies. In the governance of water also this concept has got central role in planning, implementation and running of the projects. The process is not a linear one rather than a pluralistic strategy including the state, civil society and the local community, to include the ‘people’s voice’ in development. The study takes the case of world Bank aided ‘Jalanidhi’ project of Kerala which was implemented with the active participation of the people. Drawing from the concept of ‘Governmentality’ by Michael Foucault, it is argued that, remote government technologies of the state by promoting localism and active citizenship that shapes the regime of action in the water supply through a variety of discourses that redefine the rights as duties which ultimately marginalises ‘resistance and negotiation’ from the society.