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Kerala Says It Has Eliminated Extreme Poverty as Opposition Walks Out

The declaration follows a locally led programme that targeted about 59,000 families for basic services.

Overview

  • Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced the milestone in a special Assembly sitting on Kerala Piravi, asserting Kerala is the first Indian state to end extreme poverty.
  • The Congress-led UDF boycotted the session and called the claim a fraud, citing procedural objections and a reported starvation death case in Thiruvananthapuram.
  • The government says participatory surveys initially identified 64,006 families and, after deaths and migration, targeted about 59,000 households with individual microplans.
  • Official figures list dedicated allocations of Rs 50 crore each in 2023–24 and 2024–25 and Rs 60 crore in 2025–26, with outputs including 4,677 houses and land-plus-assistance for 2,713 families.
  • A published order showed Rs 1.5 crore was shifted to fund Saturday’s public announcement event, a move critics attacked as publicity-focused, as China’s Ambassador posted congratulations to Kerala.