In Changanacherry, he personally led a large demonstration against the government through the streets. Pursuing a rather liberal approach to education, he joined hands with other Christian Churches to defend the constitutional rights of the minority communities, leading to the enactment of the Kerala Self-financing Professional Colleges Act in 2006. John the Baptist Training College at Nedumkunnam, St. Thomas College of Nursing at Chethipuzha, St. Thomas College of Allied Health Sciences at Chethipuzha and St. Joseph’s College of Communication at Kurisummoodu were founded by him in the Archdiocese of Changanacherry during the last decade. His special care and concern for the margininalised, especially for mentally challenged children, is manifested in nineteen special schools for the mentally challenged in the Archdiocese itself and four schools for the physically handicapped. The first school for the mentally challenged in the central Travancore region was opened on his initiative in 1972 in Ithithanam near Changanacherry. Now it is the largest residential school with hundred students and twenty-five teaching and non-teaching staff. Social Development was one of his major concerns. He founded the Peerumedu Development Society (P.D.S) and the Malanadu Development Society (M. D. S) in 1977 while he was the bishop of Kanjirappaly. The Kuttanadu Vikasana Samithy (KVS) is another project of his. As the Patron of the Changanacherry Social Service Society (CHASS), he oversaw numerous developmental schemes. Many Scholarship schemes are established for the Dalit Christians in the Archdiocese and the poor and eligible students of the professional courses. In 1990, Archbishop Powathil founded the prestigious I. C. Chacko award for cultural and literary excellence and it was awarded to Prof. P. C. Devasia, the author of Kristu Bhagavathom in Sanskrit language. The Centre for Indian Christian Archaeological Research (CICAR) is another initiative of the Archbishop. In order to promote reading, Archbishop Powathil established the Department of Book Apostolate which organizes the Changanacherry Pusthaka Mela every year in October. The Archbishop established the Diocesan Youth Movement called ‘Yuva Deepthi’ in 1972. It eventually turned into the Kerala Catholic Youth Movement (KCYM). He was the first chairman of the KCBC Youth Commission. He started Apostolate for the senior citizens, apostolate for the emigrants and apostolate for the tourists in the Archdiocese.