Kerala will declare itself free of extreme poverty on Nov 1 after the EPEP identifies 64,006 families for targeted aid using grassroots verification and micro-plans.
Kerala extreme poverty free declaration
Kerala will formally declare itself free of extreme poverty on November 1, 2025, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced, capping a four-year drive under the Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme (EPEP) launched in 2021. The state government says the effort used a grassroots, people-led approach — combining local verification, focus-group discussions, gram sabha scrutiny and tailored micro-plans — to ensure no household was left out of welfare access.
Local self-government institutions, Kudumbashree members, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, MGNREGS staff and social activists were trained and mobilised to identify vulnerable households and deliver targeted aid. According to official figures, field teams initially listed 118,309 families and, after 56,964 focus-group discussions and detailed field checks, finalised a verified list of 64,006 families classified as living in extreme poverty. Each family received a personalised support plan covering food security, safe housing, healthcare access, livelihood support and help obtaining identity documents and welfare entitlements.
The World Bank benchmark for extreme poverty (less than $1.90 per day) and India’s multidimensional poverty indicators informed screening and eligibility, the government said. Officials stressed that the programme emphasised transparency and community participation rather than top-down targeting. Observers welcomed Kerala’s claim but urged independent audits and ongoing monitoring to prevent relapse, while noting that long-term resilience depends on sustained job creation, social-protection linkages and climate-proofing of livelihoods.
