Context:

Recently, Kerala has declared his Dharmadam Assembly constituency in Kannur as the first in the state to be completely free of extreme poverty.The announcement was made during a public function held at Pinarayi village, located within the constituency. The Chief Minister ofKerala also stated that Kerala will be officially declared an ‘extreme poverty-free’ state by November 1, 2025, aligning the target with the state’s formation day.

About Extreme Poverty:

Extreme poverty is defined by the World Bank as living on less than $2.15 per person per day (adjusted for 2017 purchasing power parity).

• This threshold represents the most severe form of poverty, where individuals struggle to meet even the most basic human needs—including access to adequate food, clean drinking water, sanitation, shelter, basic healthcare, education, and information.
• People living in extreme poverty often face chronic hunger, high infant mortality rates, and lack of access to schooling and healthcare, and insecure housing.

Extreme poverty in Kerala

Three years ago, the government embarked on a mission to eradicate extreme poverty from the state. It identified 64,002 families living under conditions of extreme deprivation. Micro-level action plans were then rolled out to uplift them with the help of various departments.

• In Kerala, identification of extreme poverty was based on four core indicators: food availability, healthcare access, income, and housing. Families lacking in any of these essential areas were included in the category.
• In Dharmadam, a total of 196 families were initially found to be living in extreme poverty:
• All families were also assisted in acquiring mandatory identification documents and were linked to relevant welfare schemes.

Statewide Progress

Out of the 64,002 families identified statewide, 44,000 families have already been lifted out of extreme poverty, with the remaining set to be covered in the coming months.

The effort was driven by a grassroots survey conducted across all local self-government bodies, with the Kerala Institute of Local Administration setting the framework for evaluation and identification.

Kerala, often lauded for its human development indicators, had already recorded the lowest poverty rate in India at 0.71%, according to the NITI Aayog’s 2021 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

Conclusion:

Despite Kerala’s high ranking in national poverty and development indices, the state acknowledged the presence of isolated pockets of extreme poverty—a challenge the current administration has worked to address through this focused, family-level intervention. This achievement demonstrates Kerala's commitment to inclusive development and poverty alleviation, solidifying its position as a leader in human development indices.