{"id":71617,"date":"2025-11-02T11:38:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T06:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=71617"},"modified":"2025-11-03T12:17:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T06:47:07","slug":"kerala-becomes-indias-first-state-to-eradicate-extreme-poverty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/kerala-becomes-indias-first-state-to-eradicate-extreme-poverty\/","title":{"rendered":"Kerala Becomes India\u2019s First State to Eradicate Extreme Poverty"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Eradicate Extreme Poverty Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Kerala Piravi Day or Kerala Day (November 1, 2025), Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared that Kerala has <\/span><b>eradicated extreme poverty,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> making it the <\/span><b>first Indian state<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to achieve this milestone.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The achievement <\/span><b>follows a targeted four-year effort <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">under the Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme (<\/span><b>EPEP<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) led by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This marks a significant development in India\u2019s poverty alleviation journey, offering insights into localized, data-driven, participatory governance models, and <\/span><b>aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goal 1 (No Poverty).<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Understanding Extreme Poverty<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Global definition:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As per the World Bank\u2019s (June 2025) revision, anyone living on <\/span><b>less than $3 per day<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2021 PPP) is considered to be in extreme poverty. Earlier, the benchmark was $2.15\/day (2017 PPP).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>The poverty line for:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lower-middle-income countries &#8211; $4.20\/day<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upper-middle-income countries &#8211; $8.30\/day<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Difference between poverty and extreme poverty:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those earning below $4.20 but above $3 are <\/span><b>poor<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not extremely poor.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extreme poverty <\/span><b>captures the most deprived segment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in terms of basic human needs\u2014food, shelter, health, and education.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>India\u2019s Position in the Global Context<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>World Bank estimates (2025):<\/b>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">838 million people globally lived in extreme poverty in 2022 (using $3\/day standard).<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>In India:<\/b>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extreme poverty declined from 16.2% (2011\u201312) to 2.3% (2022\u201323).<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">About 171 million people were lifted out of extreme poverty.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Drivers of improvement: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rising employment and urbanization. For example, urban unemployment reduced to 6.6% (Q1 FY24\/25) \u2014 lowest since 2017\u201318.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Persistent challenges:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Youth unemployment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 13.3% (29% among graduates).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Gender disparity:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Female employment rate 31%.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Informality<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 77% of non-farm jobs and most farm jobs remain informal.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Critics argue<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that official poverty reduction estimates may not fully capture multidimensional deprivations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Measuring Poverty in India &#8211; The Multidimensional Approach<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>NITI Aayog\u2019s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI):<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is based on Alkire-Foster methodology (Global MPI), and uses 12 indicators across three dimensions &#8211;<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><b>Health<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: nutrition, child mortality, maternal health.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><b>Education<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: years of schooling, school attendance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><b>Standard of living<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: housing, sanitation, assets, and cooking fuel.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Kerala\u2019s broader poverty reduction journey:<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NITI Aayog\u2019s 2021 MPI: <\/span><b>Kerala\u2019s poverty rate was 0.7%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 lowest in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Poverty declined from <\/span><b>59.8% in the 1970s to near zero<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to successive governments\u2019 welfare policies in education, health, and social security.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, <\/span><b>Kerala\u2019s extreme poverty identification method differed<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the NITI Aayog\u2019s MPI framework.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Kerala\u2019s Model &#8211; Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme (EPEP)<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Launch and implementation:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Announced in <\/span><b>2021<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, soon after the LDF government began its second term.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Local Self-Government Department<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was the nodal agency.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Around 4 lakh personnel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014officials, elected representatives, and volunteers\u2014were trained.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Identification process:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Initial identification<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 1.18 lakh families.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>After verification and migration checks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 59,000 families confirmed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Criteria<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Income, health, housing, and food insecurity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Key interventions:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Housing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 4,677 homeless families identified; 4,005 provided homes under<\/span><b> Life Mission Scheme.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Food security<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 20,648 families lacking stable food access were given meals by local bodies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Essential documents and services<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Under Avakasam Athivegam (Rights Fast) campaign, families were ensured access to &#8211; Aadhaar, voter ID, bank accounts, MGNREGS job cards, social pensions, electricity, and LPG connections.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Institutional collaboration:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Local governance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, community participation, and data verification ensured inclusivity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Opposition <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">parties also extended bipartisan support for implementation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Significance of Kerala\u2019s Achievement<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kerala becomes the <\/span><b>first Indian state <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to claim zero extreme poverty.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reflects success of localized planning<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, micro-level targeting, and welfare convergence.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reinforces Kerala\u2019s legacy in human development<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, education, and social justice.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Critical Perspectives and Challenges<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Tribal representation concerns:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha alleged that only 5% of identified families were Scheduled Tribes, despite high deprivation among Paniya, Adiya, and Kattunaikkar communities in Wayanad and Attappady.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Criticism of survey methodology for <\/span><b>not ensuring tribal-specific inclusion parameters<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Labour and welfare gaps: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ASHA workers criticized the government\u2019s poverty claims, demanding better honorarium (\u20b9223\/day). The government responded by increasing their pay by \u20b91,000\/month.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sustainability challenge: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LSGD is now planning Phase II to ensure beneficiaries do not relapse into poverty, focusing on long-term livelihood stability.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Way Forward<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Institutionalise micro-planning: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Integrate micro-level data systems within broader State and NITI Aayog MPI frameworks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Tribal and marginal inclusion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Create dedicated tribal sub-plans to ensure fair representation and land rights.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Livelihood security<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Focus on job creation, skill development, and micro-enterprise financing to prevent relapse into poverty.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sustainability audits<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Regular monitoring and impact assessment of rehabilitated families.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>National replication: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kerala\u2019s model offers a template for other states\u2014combining decentralised governance, data-based targeting, and community-driven execution.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kerala\u2019s EPEP marks a <\/span><b>milestone in India\u2019s fight against extreme poverty<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 showcasing how decentralised governance, human-centric micro-planning, and participatory implementation can transform lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While <\/span><b>political criticism and inclusivity gaps persist<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the model provides a replicable framework for sustainable and equitable poverty eradication in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By blending welfare delivery with dignity and empowerment, <\/span><b>Kerala reaffirms its place as a social development pioneer.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Source<\/b><strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/kerala\/kerala-declared-free-from-extreme-poverty-first-indian-state-to-do-so\/article70228620.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH |<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-economics\/kerala-eradicating-extreme-poverty-meaning-10340008\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared that Kerala has eradicated extreme poverty, making it the first Indian state to achieve this milestone. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":71751,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[3511,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-71617","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-eradicate-extreme-poverty","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}