Between June 1 and August 19, 2018, the state of Kerala went through the worst ever floods in the state's history since 1924. One sixth of the population — about 5.4 million Keralites — were affected. Following the disaster, the Government of Kerala felt that there was a need to go beyond traditional approaches to recovery and reconstruction in order to not only recover fully from the current disaster but also to better prepare for future disasters.
The Rebuild Kerala Development Programme encompasses key sectors of the economy such as agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry, land, livelihoods, roads and bridges, transportation, urban services and infrastructure, water supply and sanitation and water resources management; it also addresses crosscutting priorities, among them climate change and disaster risk management, environment, open data and public sector strengthening; and, finally, within the above, it covers policies, institutions and investments that will build the foundations for a resilient, green, inclusive and vibrant 'Nava Keralam'.