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Thiruvananthapuram: In a historic announcement on the occasion of Kerala Piravi Day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday announced that Kerala has become the first state in India to eliminate extreme poverty, which he described as a transformative milestone in the welfare history of the state.
The announcement was made at a one-day special meeting of the 140-member Kerala Assembly that was convened at 9 am
However, the event was disrupted due to protests by the opposition Congress-led UDF, which boycotted the session, terming the announcement as “a big betrayal”.
Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan alleged that the move was “a scripted propaganda show”, noting that advertisements declaring Kerala poverty-free had already appeared in newspapers before the assembly meeting.
Opposition members accused the government of ignoring the legislative process and staged a protest at the Assembly gate.
However, rejecting the allegations on the floor of the Assembly, Chief Minister Vijayan said the announcement was planned in advance for Kerala Foundation Day and the opposition’s reaction reflected “its habitual negativity”.
He said, “It is being called a fraud because they are used to doing such things. Left governments keep their word, which is our tradition.”
Vijayan described the achievement as “the beginning of a new era for Kerala”, achieved through extensive public participation and micro-level planning.
Beneficiaries were identified through a participatory process involving all sections of the society, he said, adding that individual family plans were prepared to ensure sustainable results.
According to official data, the state has allocated Rs 60 crore in the 2025-26 budget to strengthen the anti-poverty mission.
When the program began, 90.7 percent of rural households and 88.89 percent of urban households were below the poverty line.
Under this initiative, 4,677 families got houses through the Life Mission project, while 2,711 families were first allotted land to build houses.
The Chief Minister said all beneficiaries have been ensured three meals a day and Kerala “now stands as a state where no family will remain hungry or homeless”.
After staging a walkout with the entire opposition MLAs outside the Assembly, Satheesan said that one of the main reasons for this showy announcement is to divert attention from the ongoing Sabarimala gold heist case, and they have been continuously demanding the resignation of the Devaswom Minister and the ouster of the Travancore Devaswom Board.
He claimed, “It is strange that when Vijayan made the announcement, there was a media report that a poor woman died of hunger in the state capital.”
In the evening, the same announcement will be made at a public meeting when Vijayan will be accompanied by veteran superstars – Mammootty, Mohanlal and Kamal Haasan.
–IANS