Kerala will soon be free of extreme poverty, says government

Thiruvananthapuram: Four years ago, at just 24, Remya P's life seemed to be falling apart. She was a widow, a cancer patient, and a mother of two small children with no job and no safe place to call home.

Living in Chavara village in Kerala's southern Kollam district, she faced daily struggles. Her fight was not just against the disease, but also against joblessness, the constant worry of how to pay for treatment and keep a roof over her family's head.

Her fortunes changed when local panchayat authorities came to know about her plight. They identified her as a beneficiary of the state government's Extreme Poverty Eradication Project (EPEP), a scheme designed to help those in the most dire circumstances.

Today, she is a cancer survivor. She has a steady job working at a panchayat helpdesk and, crucially, her family now lives securely in a house provided by the government's LIFE housing programme.

From a life defined by loss and fear, Remya has found a new beginning. Her story is one of survival, made possible by a helping hand when she needed it most.

A mass grassroots-level multidimensional initiative to root out extreme poverty, the EPEP seeks to ensure that no person remains "extremely poor" and is left behind in the state's development trajectory.

Spearheaded by the Local Self Government Department, the flagship programme envisions achieving the goal by addressing food, income, health, education and shelter as critical distress factors of vulnerable people.

After uplifting over 64,006 families living under extremely poor conditions in the state by ensuring them uninterrupted supply of food, healthcare, a source of livelihood and safe housing, Kerala is now all set to be declared as the first "extreme poverty-free state" in the country on November 1, the state formation day.

LSGD Minister M B Rajesh said it is a proud moment for the state as Kerala stands first in the country and second in the world after China in terms of successful eradication of extreme poverty.

"The EPEP was the first decision taken by the first Cabinet of the present LDF government. It was envisaged as a five-year plan to eradicate extreme poverty. Now, we have achieved 100 per cent of our target," he told PTI.

The 64,006 families, comprising 1,03,099 individuals, identified as extremely poor through a statewide survey, have now been uplifted by addressing the parameters of food, health, education, livelihood income and housing, the minister explained.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who conceptualised the project, coordinated various departments in this regard and reviewed its progress at each stage.

The integration of various social security schemes of the government and convergence of the activities of various departments at one point through the chief minister was the reason for the success of EPEP, Rajesh said.

The minister said the most marginalised and vulnerable sections of the society, including nomads, who did not even know about the existing government programmes or have no idea how to apply for them, have been identified and covered under the initiative.

"Microplans, in accordance with the needs of each family, have been prepared. For some families, medical care is the priority. For others, it is food. A large number need housing and income. There were even persons who requested assistance to go to hospitals," he said.

A grassroots-level survey carried out to identify the beneficiaries showed that 35 per cent of such households faced income deprivation, 24 per cent experienced health-related issues, 21 per cent encountered food deprivation, and 15 per cent were deprived of shelter.

Das Raj, a 67-year-old native of Mamkukam village in Idukki, heaved a sigh of relief as he got a newly-built house recently.

"We had a tin-roofed, dilapidated hut earlier. Both my wife and our only son suffer from psychological disorders. We also had no concrete source of income," the daily wage earner told PTI.

The family shifted to the newly-built house, comprising two bedrooms, a hall, kitchen and bathroom.

During the initial phase of implementation of EPEP, the main focus was on addressing food and health deprivation, to provide a lifeline for survival and dignity, the minister said.

Uninterrupted distribution of both cooked food and food kits, access to medicines, doorstep treatment, palliative care, and even organ transplantation were ensured to the needy among identified beneficiaries.

The biggest challenge faced in the implementation of EPEP was finding land for the landless and homeless, he said.

Coordinated efforts have resulted in the completion of a total of 7,083 safe shelters across the state by the end of September this year.

The minister admitted that the upliftment of over 60,000 extremely poor families does not mean that more people would not fall into the category in the future. "So, the government is now mulling a project to ensure the continuation of the extreme poverty eradication programme," Rajesh added.

Despite being allocated a new home, Shy Varghese, a visually impaired street singer in Kumaramangalam, cannot move in because the access path is unsafe and the property lacks an electricity connection.

Local authorities have now assured his family that necessary steps will be taken to make the house liveable.