Kerala has officially declared that it is the first Indian state to have eliminated extreme poverty. During a special meeting of the Kerala Legislative Assembly on November 1, 2025, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made this historic announcement. It was also the day that Kerala Piravi, the day the state was formed, was celebrated. This statement says that Kerala is the first Indian state to eliminate extreme poverty.
History and significance
The World Bank says that people who make less than Rs 180 a day are living in extreme poverty. Kerala’s plan to end poverty goes beyond just money. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) considers factors such as nutrition, housing, sanitation, education, and access to basic services, including healthcare. The NITI Aayog’s 2023 MPI report says that Kerala already had the lowest rate of multidimensional poverty in the country, with only 0.55% of its population living in it.
The EPEP is the Extreme Poverty Eradication Project.
The Kerala Government launched the Extreme Poverty Eradication Project (EPEP) in 2021, which was a significant factor in this success. Kudumbashree conducted a comprehensive on-the-ground survey with the help of local women’s self-help groups, ASHA workers, anganwadi centers, and local governments. This survey found that about 64,006 families, or about 0.2% of the state’s population, were living in extreme poverty.
Each family that was found received a personalized micro-plan that addressed their specific issues, such as not having a place to live, not having land, having chronic illnesses, not having a steady income, and having trouble getting Government benefits because they didn’t have the proper paperwork. The EPEP had three parts for each family: • Making sure people can get food and medical care. • Making sure people can make a living. • Giving people a place to live.
What happened
The Government of Kerala says that this project has been very successful in many ways:
• Over 5,400 new homes were built, and 5,500 old ones were fixed up.
• Giving 439 families who don’t own any land 28.32 acres of land.
• About 34,672 families made extra money, which added up to Rs 77 crore, by doing work that didn’t require any special skills.
Four thousand three hundred ninety-four families received help starting their own businesses.
• More than 85,000 people received health care, including palliative care, help with organ transplants, and assistive devices.
• Help with food, like cooked meals, food kits, and daily meals for thousands of families.
• Handing out important personal papers to more than 21,000 people.
• Help with Government forms and emergency help for families in need.
Responses from politics and society
The announcement was made during the Kerala Legislative Assembly session to celebrate the state’s founding day. The Left Democratic Front (LDF), which is in charge, called the achievement a “landmark milestone” that showed how Kerala was becoming “Nava Kerala.” The Congress party and the United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the opposition, disagreed. They called the declaration a “pure fraud” and did not attend the session. Even though there are political differences, the fact that the Government is working together across party lines at the local level shows that this is a success.
More Important
Kerala’s announcement that it is the first state in India free from extreme poverty shows how well-designed and inclusive welfare programs work and how dedicated politicians are to making the world a better place. This program helps the most vulnerable people address their many problems by involving the community, providing various forms of support, and ensuring everything is well planned. The state Government has invested more than Rs 1,000 crore in the program, underscoring how important it is to end poverty beyond mere numbers. Other states struggling with poverty can look to Kerala as an example of how to do things right. It shows that a broad approach that includes jobs, housing, health, nutrition, and social inclusion can help end extreme poverty by 2025.