Context:
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan declared Kerala free from extreme poverty at a Special Assembly Session on Kerala Piravi (State Formation Day).
Key Highlights:
Programme Background
- Declaration linked to Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme (EPEP)
- EPEP decision was taken in the 1st Cabinet meeting of LDF Govt (2021)
- Target: identify & eliminate extreme deprivation households via targeted interventions
Political Dimension
- Opposition UDF walked out – terming the declaration a “hollow proclamation” & alleging pre-election publicity stunt
- Government maintains promise delivered
Significance / Socio-Economic Angle
- Kerala becomes the 1st Indian State to make such an assertion formally
- Kerala already has:
- Highest human development indicators
- Strong PDS + welfare pensions
- High literacy
- Strong decentralised governance model → Panchayat Planning System
- Marks a symbolic milestone in post-1990 Kerala model
Relevant Prelims Points:
- “Extreme poverty” globally is often aligned to $2.15/day (PPP) World Bank metric (India doesn’t publish official poverty data frequently)
- Kerala → known for social development-oriented expenditure (Ed. + Health + Social Security)
Relevant Mains Points:
- “Extreme poverty elimination” aligns with SDG-1 (No Poverty)
- Kerala model – high social spending + inter-sectoral convergence
- Also relates to Targeted DBT (pensions, PDS, health interventions)
Way Forward: third-party verification + independent NSSO linkage + longitudinal “exit from deprivation tracking”
Possible Mains Question:
Kerala claims to have eliminated extreme poverty. Analyse whether state-level poverty eradication frameworks can substitute national poverty measurement.