Context: On November 1, 2025, Kerala will be officially declared free from extreme poverty, becoming the first Indian state to achieve this distinction.
The milestone marks the culmination of the Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme (2021–2025) — a four-year, data-driven initiative combining welfare convergence, local governance, and digital innovation.
About Extreme Poverty
- Definition: According to the World Bank, extreme poverty refers to living on less than $2.15 per day, representing a state where individuals cannot meet basic needs like food, shelter, and healthcare.
- Updated Benchmark (2025): The World Bank has revised this threshold to $3 per day (PPP 2021) for low-income nations, accounting for inflation and changing consumption patterns.
- Measurement: The poverty line is determined using Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) data, ensuring comparability across regions.
Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme (2021–2025)
Launched in 2021, the programme aimed to eradicate extreme poverty through a multidimensional approach focusing on nutrition, health, housing, education, and livelihoods.
- Implementation Agency:
Led by Kudumbashree – Kerala State Poverty Eradication Mission, in collaboration with local governments. - Beneficiary Identification:
- 64,006 extremely poor families identified through door-to-door surveys.
- 59,277 families uplifted by 2025.
- Infrastructure Support:
- 3,913 houses constructed.
- 1,338 families provided land ownership.
- 21,263 individuals received essential IDs (ration, Aadhaar, pension).
- Technology Use:
Every household was geo-tagged, and micro-plans were prepared to ensure sustainable rehabilitation.
How Kerala Achieved Poverty-Free Status
- Data-Driven Targeting:
The Smart Panchayat Project and Kudumbashree database enabled accurate beneficiary identification using community validation and GIS mapping. - Convergence of Schemes:
Integrated State and Central welfare schemes under a unified action plan:- Life Mission: Housing for landless families.
- Aardram Mission: Primary healthcare access.
- Ashraya Project: Welfare for destitute and elderly.
- Decentralised Governance:
Kerala’s People’s Plan Campaign (Janakeeya Aasuthranam) empowered local bodies with decision-making and fiscal autonomy under the Nava Kerala Mission. - Digital Governance:
The Kerala State IT Mission created GIS-based dashboards and the e-Sevanam portal for tracking benefits, asset mapping, and real-time monitoring. - Political and Institutional Alignment:
Cross-party support and Mission Mode Governance ensured coherence between state policies and local implementation, supported by KILA training for officials.
Significance
Kerala’s success underscores the potential of decentralisation, data integration, and community participation in addressing poverty.
It sets a replicable model for other Indian states to adopt evidence-based social welfare and multidimensional poverty reduction strategies.