New Delhi: In June, the World Bank said in a report that India’s extreme poverty rate had declined sharply to 5.3%, over a decade from 27.1% in 2011-12.
Come November 1, Kerala will be ‘crowned’ as India’s first state free from extreme poverty.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will make the declaration at a grand event in Thiruvananthapuram’s Central Stadium. It will coincide with Kerala Piravi Day, the state’s formation day.
Leading south actors Mohanlal, Mammootty and Kamal Haasan are expected to attend the ceremony as special guests.
All state ministers and the leader of Opposition will also be invited to the programme, which will feature cultural events before and after the main ceremony.
“Kerala is once again making history by eradicating extreme poverty. Along with being the first state in the country to achieve this goal, Kerala has also become the second region in the world to achieve this goal,” Local Self-Government Minister MB Rajesh and Education Minister V Sivankutty said at a press conference.
Special programmes have also been planned across the state simultaneously to mark the milestone.
Individuals and families are categorised to be in ‘extreme poverty’ when they are unable to afford the most basic necessities like food, shelter, clothing, healthcare and education.
Rajesh said that the extreme poverty eradication programme was launched in 2021 as one of the first Cabinet decisions of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
“According to a NITI Aayog study in 2021, Kerala had the lowest poverty rate in India at just 0.7% of the total population. The government took the lead in identifying and uplifting this section of society, ensuring that not a single family was left behind. With this achievement, Kerala will become the first State in India to eradicate extreme poverty,” the minister.
How Kerala did it
The state government identified 64,006 families living in extreme poverty, based on extensive ground-level surveys and determined by factors including food security, health, livelihood and shelter.
Thereafter, 21,263 individuals were provided essential identity documents such as ration or Aadhaar cards; 3,913 families received new homes; 1,338 families were allotted land; 5,651 homes underwent repairs costing up to Rs 2 lakh each.
Plans to address immediate and long-term needs were drawn up for every family, many of which were earlier excluded from welfare databases or voter rolls.
Multiple levels of verification were carried out. Of the 64,006 identified families, 4,421 individuals, classified as single-member families, passed away during the project period.
There were 261 nomadic families which could not be located, with many migrating to other states. However, these families will be assisted if they return o Kerala.
Also, there were 47 cases of overlapping entries across local bodies, which were resolved by merging family data.
Thus, 59,277 families have been successfully lifted out of extreme poverty, as efforts are ongoing to trace and support the remaining 4,729 families.
Every beneficiary household has been geo-tagged for transparency and monitoring, and a social audit of the entire process is underway.
“It is the result of collective effort, all local bodies, including those governed by the Opposition, contributed to this success,” Rajesh added.
