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Complete eradication of poverty in Kerala: CM Vijayan's historic announcement
Thiruvananthapuram, November 2, 2025: The state of Kerala has announced an unprecedented achievement. State Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a statement made in the Assembly, said that Kerala is now completely 'poverty free'. This announcement is being considered a great glory of the development model under the red-green flag of Kerala. Chief Minister Vijayan said that this was possible due to the tireless efforts of the state government and social justice policies. However, this announcement is not only a political victory but also a great ray of hope for the common people, he said.
Context and background of the announcement
Chief Minister Vijayan made this announcement in the recently concluded session of the Kerala Legislative Assembly. While presenting the budget in the Assembly, he said that poverty has been eradicated in all 14 districts of the state and no citizen is now in the grip of extreme poverty. This announcement comes after the successful implementation of the 'NIRMA' campaign, which was launched by the end of 2024. Under this campaign, the state government helped over 10 lakh families through financial assistance, job training and skill development programmes.
Chief Minister Vijayan told the Assembly, "Kerala has always chosen to walk on the path of social justice and equality. Today I proudly say that we have completely eradicated poverty. This is not just a statistical achievement, but a change in the lives of millions of people." His statement was met with thunderous applause in the House. Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satyan Mohan also welcomed the announcement, but sought clarification on some points.
Given the background of Kerala's poverty eradication journey, the state has been implementing social welfare schemes since the 1970s. 'Abhay' health insurance scheme, health care through 'ASHA' workers and women empowerment programmes like 'Kudumbashree' have curbed poverty. After the Vijayan government came to power in 2016, schemes like ‘LAP’ (Life Above Poverty) were implemented, which benefited farmers and labourers in rural areas to a large extent. According to the recently released 78th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), the poverty rate in Kerala has come down to 0.55 per cent, which is 10 times lower than the national average.
Key components of the campaign and success stories
The ‘Nirma’ campaign is part of the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) that the Kerala government has set as its goal. Under this campaign, an assistance of Rs 50,000 crore was distributed to 5 lakh families through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). In addition, over 2 lakh youth were provided skill development training, which led to them getting jobs in local industries. Special emphasis was given to employment generation in the tourism, fishing and IT sectors.
One example is the story of Radha Nair, a widow from a small village in Kozhikode district. After her husband passed away, she was below the poverty line. After joining a fishing cooperative under 'Kudumbashree', she got a loan of Rs 2 lakh and now runs her own small business. Thousands of such stories have spread across Kerala. Chief Minister Vijayan told such stories, saying, "This success is not only of the government, but of the people. Every panchayat and municipality participated in this campaign."
The state government has also introduced new criteria for measuring poverty. Instead of the traditional Below Poverty Line (BPL) list, the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) has been used. It includes factors such as health, education and living standards. According to this, 99.99% of households in Kerala have become poverty-free. However, some experts believe that this figure does not fully capture the hidden poverty in rural areas. Economist Dr. Prof. K. P. Kannan said, "The Kerala model is inspiring, but the increase in unemployment after COVID-19 has created some new challenges. Still, this announcement is an important step."
Political reaction and central government's role
The announcement has also become a topic of discussion in the political environment of Kerala. The opposition party Assomation (led by Congress) tried to take credit for this success, while the BJP dismissed it as 'political propaganda'. BJP leader C. T. Ravi said, "There is no poverty in Kerala, but there is unemployment and a mountain of debt. This announcement is pre-election." However, Chief Minister Vijayan responded by saying, "We believe in numbers, not propaganda. The central government should also implement such schemes at the national level."
The central government's role was also discussed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter (now X) to congratulate the announcement and said that "Kerala's success is an inspiration for the whole of India." However, the Centre claimed its contribution by mentioning the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana' and 'Ujjwala' schemes. The Kerala government, however, criticized the injustice in the distribution of taxes in the state. "While the funds from the Centre were inadequate, we relied on our own resources," Vijayan said.
Future challenges and outlook
Despite the promise of poverty alleviation, Kerala still faces challenges. Floods due to climate change, rising inflation and youth migration are major problems. The state government has announced new schemes under 'Kerala Vision 2030', which focuses on green energy and the digital economy. It aims to create 5 lakh new jobs.
Special schemes will be implemented for women and gender minorities.
Thiruvananthapuram, November 2, 2025: The state of Kerala has announced an unprecedented achievement. State Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a statement made in the Assembly, said that Kerala is now completely 'poverty free'. This announcement is being considered a great glory of the development model under the red-green flag of Kerala. Chief Minister Vijayan said that this was possible due to the tireless efforts of the state government and social justice policies. However, this announcement is not only a political victory but also a great ray of hope for the common people, he said.
Context and background of the announcement
Chief Minister Vijayan made this announcement in the recently concluded session of the Kerala Legislative Assembly. While presenting the budget in the Assembly, he said that poverty has been eradicated in all 14 districts of the state and no citizen is now in the grip of extreme poverty. This announcement comes after the successful implementation of the 'NIRMA' campaign, which was launched by the end of 2024. Under this campaign, the state government helped over 10 lakh families through financial assistance, job training and skill development programmes.
Chief Minister Vijayan told the Assembly, "Kerala has always chosen to walk on the path of social justice and equality. Today I proudly say that we have completely eradicated poverty. This is not just a statistical achievement, but a change in the lives of millions of people." His statement was met with thunderous applause in the House. Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satyan Mohan also welcomed the announcement, but sought clarification on some points.
Given the background of Kerala's poverty eradication journey, the state has been implementing social welfare schemes since the 1970s. 'Abhay' health insurance scheme, health care through 'ASHA' workers and women empowerment programmes like 'Kudumbashree' have curbed poverty. After the Vijayan government came to power in 2016, schemes like ‘LAP’ (Life Above Poverty) were implemented, which benefited farmers and labourers in rural areas to a large extent. According to the recently released 78th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), the poverty rate in Kerala has come down to 0.55 per cent, which is 10 times lower than the national average.
Key components of the campaign and success stories
The ‘Nirma’ campaign is part of the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) that the Kerala government has set as its goal. Under this campaign, an assistance of Rs 50,000 crore was distributed to 5 lakh families through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). In addition, over 2 lakh youth were provided skill development training, which led to them getting jobs in local industries. Special emphasis was given to employment generation in the tourism, fishing and IT sectors.
One example is the story of Radha Nair, a widow from a small village in Kozhikode district. After her husband passed away, she was below the poverty line. After joining a fishing cooperative under 'Kudumbashree', she got a loan of Rs 2 lakh and now runs her own small business. Thousands of such stories have spread across Kerala. Chief Minister Vijayan told such stories, saying, "This success is not only of the government, but of the people. Every panchayat and municipality participated in this campaign."
The state government has also introduced new criteria for measuring poverty. Instead of the traditional Below Poverty Line (BPL) list, the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) has been used. It includes factors such as health, education and living standards. According to this, 99.99% of households in Kerala have become poverty-free. However, some experts believe that this figure does not fully capture the hidden poverty in rural areas. Economist Dr. Prof. K. P. Kannan said, "The Kerala model is inspiring, but the increase in unemployment after COVID-19 has created some new challenges. Still, this announcement is an important step."
Political reaction and central government's role
The announcement has also become a topic of discussion in the political environment of Kerala. The opposition party Assomation (led by Congress) tried to take credit for this success, while the BJP dismissed it as 'political propaganda'. BJP leader C. T. Ravi said, "There is no poverty in Kerala, but there is unemployment and a mountain of debt. This announcement is pre-election." However, Chief Minister Vijayan responded by saying, "We believe in numbers, not propaganda. The central government should also implement such schemes at the national level."
The central government's role was also discussed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter (now X) to congratulate the announcement and said that "Kerala's success is an inspiration for the whole of India." However, the Centre claimed its contribution by mentioning the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana' and 'Ujjwala' schemes. The Kerala government, however, criticized the injustice in the distribution of taxes in the state. "While the funds from the Centre were inadequate, we relied on our own resources," Vijayan said.
Future challenges and outlook
Despite the promise of poverty alleviation, Kerala still faces challenges. Floods due to climate change, rising inflation and youth migration are major problems. The state government has announced new schemes under 'Kerala Vision 2030', which focuses on green energy and the digital economy. It aims to create 5 lakh new jobs.
Special schemes will be implemented for women and gender minorities.
Context and background of the announcement
Chief Minister Vijayan made this announcement in the recently concluded session of the Kerala Legislative Assembly. While presenting the budget in the Assembly, he said that poverty has been eradicated in all 14 districts of the state and no citizen is now in the grip of extreme poverty. This announcement comes after the successful implementation of the 'NIRMA' campaign, which was launched by the end of 2024. Under this campaign, the state government helped over 10 lakh families through financial assistance, job training and skill development programmes.
Chief Minister Vijayan told the Assembly, "Kerala has always chosen to walk on the path of social justice and equality. Today I proudly say that we have completely eradicated poverty. This is not just a statistical achievement, but a change in the lives of millions of people." His statement was met with thunderous applause in the House. Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satyan Mohan also welcomed the announcement, but sought clarification on some points.
Given the background of Kerala's poverty eradication journey, the state has been implementing social welfare schemes since the 1970s. 'Abhay' health insurance scheme, health care through 'ASHA' workers and women empowerment programmes like 'Kudumbashree' have curbed poverty. After the Vijayan government came to power in 2016, schemes like ‘LAP’ (Life Above Poverty) were implemented, which benefited farmers and labourers in rural areas to a large extent. According to the recently released 78th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), the poverty rate in Kerala has come down to 0.55 per cent, which is 10 times lower than the national average.
Key components of the campaign and success stories
The ‘Nirma’ campaign is part of the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) that the Kerala government has set as its goal. Under this campaign, an assistance of Rs 50,000 crore was distributed to 5 lakh families through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). In addition, over 2 lakh youth were provided skill development training, which led to them getting jobs in local industries. Special emphasis was given to employment generation in the tourism, fishing and IT sectors.
One example is the story of Radha Nair, a widow from a small village in Kozhikode district. After her husband passed away, she was below the poverty line. After joining a fishing cooperative under 'Kudumbashree', she got a loan of Rs 2 lakh and now runs her own small business. Thousands of such stories have spread across Kerala. Chief Minister Vijayan told such stories, saying, "This success is not only of the government, but of the people. Every panchayat and municipality participated in this campaign."
The state government has also introduced new criteria for measuring poverty. Instead of the traditional Below Poverty Line (BPL) list, the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) has been used. It includes factors such as health, education and living standards. According to this, 99.99% of households in Kerala have become poverty-free. However, some experts believe that this figure does not fully capture the hidden poverty in rural areas. Economist Dr. Prof. K. P. Kannan said, "The Kerala model is inspiring, but the increase in unemployment after COVID-19 has created some new challenges. Still, this announcement is an important step."
Political reaction and central government's role
The announcement has also become a topic of discussion in the political environment of Kerala. The opposition party Assomation (led by Congress) tried to take credit for this success, while the BJP dismissed it as 'political propaganda'. BJP leader C. T. Ravi said, "There is no poverty in Kerala, but there is unemployment and a mountain of debt. This announcement is pre-election." However, Chief Minister Vijayan responded by saying, "We believe in numbers, not propaganda. The central government should also implement such schemes at the national level."
The central government's role was also discussed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter (now X) to congratulate the announcement and said that "Kerala's success is an inspiration for the whole of India." However, the Centre claimed its contribution by mentioning the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana' and 'Ujjwala' schemes. The Kerala government, however, criticized the injustice in the distribution of taxes in the state. "While the funds from the Centre were inadequate, we relied on our own resources," Vijayan said.
Future challenges and outlook
Despite the promise of poverty alleviation, Kerala still faces challenges. Floods due to climate change, rising inflation and youth migration are major problems. The state government has announced new schemes under 'Kerala Vision 2030', which focuses on green energy and the digital economy. It aims to create 5 lakh new jobs.
Special schemes will be implemented for women and gender minorities.
