Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has taken a major step towards the goal of becoming a state without extreme poverty. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced the completion of the first phase of the ‘Extreme Poverty Alleviation Project’ at the inaugural event of Keraleeyam. The status report of the project was handed over to the CM by the Minister of Local Self-government (LSGD) M.B Rajesh.

On the occasion, the CM termed this another example of Kerala’s development model that is presented before the world. Kerala has the lowest poverty rate in India. According to Niti Aayog’s 2021 Multidimensional Poverty Index, Kerala’s poverty level was only 0.7 percent. 

The state aims to bring this figure down to zero by November 2025. The survey found that 1,030,99 people from 64,006 families fell under the extremely poor category. Micro-plans have been initiated at the local body level to alleviate them. The CM announced that 30,658 families have already been freed from extreme poverty in the state.