‘No one will go hungry again’: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan as he declares state extreme-poverty free

On the evening of Saturday, November 1, Thiruvananthapuram’s Central stadium was witness to a historic moment as Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in the presence of film star Mammootty and other dignitaries, declared the southern state free from extreme poverty. “Today, we stand before the world as a land free from extreme poverty,” Pinarayi Vijayan said. “This marks the dawn of a new Kerala State where no human life will collapse under the weight of hunger or deprivation,” he added. 

The much discussed and heavily debated declaration was made on the 69th anniversary of Kerala’s formation. 

The mission to eradicate extreme poverty in the state began soon after the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) returned to power in 2021. The cabinet resolved to eradicate extreme poverty, which is defined as severe deprivation in four key areas: nutritious food, safe housing, basic income, and health.

Pinarayi Vijayan said that the achievement was “not a charity, but a constitutional responsibility” to ensure dignity and economic equality. He added that this was possible only because of a strong cooperation between the government, local bodies and the people. He also credited Kudumbashree collective for their ground level work, which helped in identifying the 64,006 families which were living in extreme deprivation. 

Looking back at Kerala’s journey over the past decades, the Kerala CM also paid homage to the various social reformers who played a part in transforming the state, which was once known as a ‘land of the lunatics’ to now being a state that boasts of one of the best human indices in India. 

Earlier, former Finance Minister of Kerala and senior CPI(M) leader Thomas Isaac spoke to DH and said that he sees he achievement as the culmination of Kerala’s long and layered history of social reform.

“Eradicating poverty is not a one-time programme,” Isaac said. “In 1973, 60% of Kerala’s population lived in poverty. Land reforms in 1971, rising wages for agricultural and unorganised workers, and the decentralisation drive of 1996 brought about structural changes. By 2011–12, poverty had fallen to 11%, and in 2023, it stood at just 0.5%. This multidimensional process made it possible to now target the remaining extreme poor households directly,” the former Finance Minister told DH.