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Kerala is set to become the first state in India to be declared free from extreme poverty, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan scheduled to make the official announcement on November 1, coinciding with Kerala Piravi Day celebrations in Thiruvananthapuram. The event, scheduled to be held at the Central Stadium, will see the participation of actors Mohanlal and Mammootty, as well as actor-politician Kamal Haasan. The details were made public by Minister for Local Self-Governments MB Rajesh at a press conference on October 22.
Extreme poverty refers to a condition where individuals or families are unable to afford even the most basic necessities of life, such as food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education. It represents the most severe form of economic deprivation. The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than $2.15 (around Rs 180) per person per day in purchasing power terms, a benchmark often used for global comparison. However, India also uses multidimensional criteria, covering nutrition, housing, sanitation, education, and access to basic services, to identify those living in extreme poverty through national and state-level assessments, such as the NITI Aayog’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
In 2021, NITI Aayog released India’s first MPI, which found that Kerala had the lowest multidimensional poverty rate in India at 0.7%.
Building on that, the state’s flagship Kudumbashree Mission conducted a comprehensive survey in 2021 to identify families living in extreme poverty. The study found 64,006 families, or roughly 0.2% of the state’s population, in such conditions.
“We then examined the factors that pushed them into extreme poverty and prepared a micro-plan for each family to address those issues. Under the leadership of the local self-governments, all departments worked together over the past four years to achieve this milestone,” Rajesh said.
As part of the initiative, essential documents were provided to 21,263 individuals who previously lacked them.
Stating that the biggest challenge faced by the government was those without a house or land, the Minister said 3,913 families were provided with new houses, 1,338 families received land, and repair assistance of up to Rs 2 lakh each was extended to 5,651 families to renovate their homes. To those whose house is being built or under renovation, the government has arranged for rental homes.
“Where health problems were the main cause of extreme poverty, the Health Department intervened effectively. Similarly, the Education, Revenue, and Finance Departments, among others, provided targeted support. For livelihood issues, Kudumbashree implemented interventions through its Ujjeevanam scheme,” he added.
He added that eradicating extreme poverty was among the first policy decisions taken by the current Left Democratic Front (LDF) government after assuming office in 2021. The Minister assured that the State will take all necessary measures to ensure that no new families slip back into extreme poverty.
Rajesh further stated that 64,006 families were identified in the 2021 survey, including some single-member families. Of them, 4,421 individuals who were considered single-member families have passed away over the years, while some others have been integrated into other welfare schemes. Further, 261 nomadic families could not be found because of multiple reasons including migration, and in 47 cases, different members of the same family were listed in various local bodies. “Excluding these 4,729 families, the remaining 59,277 families have now been lifted out of extreme poverty,” he said.