Kerala to be declared free from extreme poverty on November 1

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will officially declare Kerala as free from extreme poverty at a function to be held at the Central Stadium in the capital on November 1, 2025. Actors Mohanlal, Mammootty and Kamal Haasan will be special guests at the event in which all Ministers as well as the Leader of the Opposition will be invited, Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh said in a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.

Mr. Rajesh said the extreme poverty eradication programme began in 2021 as one of the first Cabinet decisions of the current Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.

“According to the NITI Aayog’s study in 2021, Kerala is the State with the lowest poverty rate in the country with a poverty rate of 0.7% of the total population. The government took the lead in reaching out to this small population and meeting their needs. Kerala will become the first State in the country to achieve this landmark,” he said. 

After ground-level surveys, 64,006 families across the State were identified as extremely poor, based on factors such as food, health, livelihood, and shelter. Many marginalised people, whose names were not even in the voters’ list and who did not even have a ration card or Aadhaar card, were on this list. Micro plans on the immediate and long-term needs were prepared for each of the families. Essential documents were provided to 21,263 individuals lacking these. Houses were provided to 3,913 families, land for 1,338 families, house repair works of up to ₹2 lakh each done for 5,651 families, he said.

“Out of 64,006 families identified in the 2021 survey, 4,421 individuals (considered as single-member families in the survey) died in the intervening years. Despite extensive checks, contacts and efforts, 261 families living as nomads could not be found during this process as a vast majority of these are migrants to other States. Arrangements have been made to provide them with necessary help if they return. There are 47 cases where different members of the same family are listed in various local bodies. Micro plans have been prepared considering them as a family. Thus, except for 4,729 families, the remaining 59,277 families have been uplifted from extreme poverty,” said Mr. Rajesh.

He said the State achieved the landmark by integrating all government assistance and services available to the public in various schemes and also by coming up with special schemes. The social audit process of the scheme is also being completed. Each beneficiary’s house is geo-tagged and data collected.

“It is the result of a collective effort as all local bodies, including those ruled by the Opposition front, also had a role to play in this,” said the Minister.

General Education Minister V. Sivankutty, who will head the organising committee for the November 1 event, was also part of the press conference.