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As the Kerala government readies to declare the state free of extreme poverty, a group of economists along with social and environmental activists, has released an open letter questioning the government's data integrity, survey methodology, and the definition of "extreme poverty."
The official declaration that the state has eliminated extreme poverty will take place at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on November 1, coinciding with Kerala Piravi Day,
“The government claims that 64,006 extremely poor families, identified through a public participation survey based on four criteria—food, safe housing, basic income, and health status—have been lifted out of poverty through continuous anti-poverty efforts since July 2021. The government further claims that Kerala will thus become the first state in India to fully achieve the crucial Sustainable Development Goals of 'Poverty Eradication' and 'Zero Hunger'. This claim raises many questions,” the letter with 23 signatories said.
Questioning the methodology and data used for the declaration, the letter asked the state government to clarify the criteria used to define the extremely poor in the state. "Which authorised committee conducted the survey for this purpose? The authenticity of the data used and the study report upon which the declaration is based must be clarified," the letter said.
Signatories of the letter includes economists MA Oommen and Mary George, KP Kannan, honorary fellow, CDS, Thiruvananthapuram, RVG Menon, former head of Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, and Dr CP Rajendran, geoscientist.
Questioning the methodology and data used for the declaration, the letter asked the government to clarify the criteria used to define the extremely poor in the state. "Which authorised committee conducted the survey for this purpose? The authenticity of the data used and the study report upon which the declaration is based must be clarified," the letter said.
The letter said the National Food Security Act of 2013 mandates four categories in Kerala's Public Distribution System (PDS). The poorest category, holding yellow Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cards, covers 5.92 lakh families (as per Economic Review 2024). "The state has been providing them with free rice and wheat since 2023, while the Centre makes these available at ₹3/kg for rice and ₹2/kg for wheat. Why, then, does the government now state there are only 64,006 extremely poor families in Kerala? Has the AAY category transitioned out of extreme poverty, leading to this declaration? If so, will the AAY category, which receives central assistance, cease to exist?," the letter asked.
According to the Kerala Local Self Government Department (LSGD), the extremely poor are those with no income, those unable to eat two meals a day, those unable to cook even if they receive ration, and those in poor health, the letter said. "Are these not the category of the destitute ('Agathikal')? Is the government calling these extremely poor?" the letter asked
The letter also sought to know whether the current initiative is a revised version of the 'Aasraya' scheme, started by the then Kerala government in 2002 to identify and assist destitute families. "Is the current declaration a continuation of 'Aasraya'? How did the initial list of 1,18,309 families shrink to 64,006—isn't this a mystery?," it asked,
The letter also raised questions on the factual backing for the claim that the state has overcome extreme poverty. Quoting the 2011 Census, the letter said the state has a total of 4.85 lakh tribal people in 1.16 lakh tribal families. "However, the new count identifies only 6,400 tribal families in the extremely poor category, representing only 5.5% of the total. Are they considered 'Agathikal' or are they a sub-set of the AAY category? What specific interventions were implemented to overcome their extreme poverty?" the letter asked.
The economists and activists also sought details of the survey report, which contains the actual living status of other extremely poor populations and the methodology of the poverty survey.
"Poverty is the biggest socio-economic problem facing our nation. Eradicating extreme poverty is not a matter to be treated lightly. Turning it into a propaganda exercise is unacceptable," the letter said, requesting the state government to provide fact-based answers before proceeding with the "Extreme Poverty-Free Kerala" declaration.
According to the government, the 64,006 extremely poor families were identified based on a survey conducted with people’s participation. The families, identified using four key indicators - food, secure housing, basic income, and health status - were lifted out of extreme poverty through special programmes implemented since July 2021.