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Living in Chavara village in the southern Kollam district of Kerala, he faced daily struggles. His fight was not just against the disease, but also against unemployment, the constant worry of how to pay for treatment and keep a roof over his family’s head.
His fortunes changed when local panchayat officials learned about his plight. They identified him as a beneficiary of the state government’s Extreme Poverty Eradication Project (EPEP), a scheme designed to help people in the most dire circumstances.
Today he is a cancer survivor. She works regularly at the panchayat helpdesk and importantly, her family now lives safely in a house provided by the government’s LIFE housing programme.
From a life defined by loss and fear, Remya gets a fresh start. Her story is one of survival, made possible by getting help when she needed it most.
A comprehensive grassroots multidimensional initiative to eradicate extreme poverty, EPEP seeks to ensure that no person remains “extreme poor” and is left behind in the development path of the state.
Led by the Department of Local Self-Government, the flagship program envisages achieving the goals by addressing food, income, health, education and shelter as critical crisis factors for vulnerable people.
After uplifting over 64,006 families living in abject conditions in the state by ensuring uninterrupted supply of food, healthcare, source of livelihood and safe housing, Kerala is now all set to be declared the country’s first “extreme poverty free state” on the State Foundation Day on November 1.
LSGD Minister MB Rajesh said it is a proud moment for the state as Kerala ranks first in the country and second in the world after China in terms of successful eradication of extreme poverty.
“EPEP was the first decision taken by the first cabinet of the present LDF government. It was envisioned as a five-year plan to eliminate extreme poverty. Now, we have achieved our 100% target,” he told PTI.
The minister informed that 64,006 households comprising 1,03,099 individuals, identified as extremely poor through the statewide survey, have now been uplifted by addressing the parameters of food, health, education, livelihood income and housing.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who conceptualized the project, coordinated various departments in this regard and reviewed its progress at each stage.
Rajesh said integration of various social security schemes of the government and convergence of activities of various departments at one point through the Chief Minister was the reason for the success of EPEP.
The minister said that the most deprived and vulnerable sections of the society, including nomads, have been identified and covered under this initiative, who were not even aware of the existing government programs or did not know how to apply for them.
“Micro-plans have been designed to suit the needs of each family. For some families, medical care is the priority. For others, it is food. A large number need housing and income. There were even people who requested assistance to go to hospitals,” he said.
A ground-level survey conducted to identify beneficiaries revealed that 35% of such families faced income shortage, 24% faced health issues, 21% faced food shortage and 15% were deprived of shelter.
Das Raj, a 67-year-old native of Mamkukam village in Idukki, heaved a sigh of relief as he recently got a newly constructed house.
“We earlier had a tin-roofed, dilapidated hut. Both my wife and our only son suffer from psychological disorders. We had no solid source of income,” the daily wage laborer told PTI.
The family moved into the newly constructed house, which consisted of two bedrooms, a hall, a kitchen and a bathroom.
The Minister said that during the initial phase of implementation of EPEP, the main focus was on addressing food and health shortages, providing a lifeline to survival and dignity.
Uninterrupted distribution of both cooked food and food kits to the needy among the identified beneficiaries, access to medicines, home treatment, palliative care and even organ transplantation was ensured.
The biggest challenge in the implementation of EPEP was finding land for the landless and homeless, he said.
As a result of coordinated efforts, a total of 7,083 safe shelters have been completed across the state by the end of September this year.
The minister acknowledged that the rise of over 60,000 extremely poor families does not mean that more people will not fall into this category in the future. “Therefore, the government is now considering a project to ensure continuity of the extreme poverty alleviation programme,” Rajesh said.
Despite being allotted a new house, Shai Varghese, a visually impaired street singer in Kumaramangalam, cannot move into it as the access road is unsafe and the property lacks electricity connection.
Local authorities have now assured his family that necessary steps will be taken to make the house habitable.