One of the oldest and richest panchayats of Kerala may soon cease to exist. And as the villagers of Thumpanom rue, they may be paying the price for a high literacy and hence a low birth rate. The final report of the Sen Committee on devolution of powers to local bodies has recommended that Thumpamon, along with two other villages in the state, should no longer be a separate panchayat as its population is less than the minimum required to be a panchayat.While the minimum limit is set at 10,000 people, Thumpamon has just 7,644 residents.