The Kerala government is set to declare that the state has eradicated extreme multidimensional poverty, becoming the first in India to achieve this milestone. On November 1, on the occasion of Kerala Piravi Day (State Formation Day), Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will make the announcement at a public event, which will be attended by ministers, senior officials, and prominent personalities. Notably, in April 2025, Vijayan’s own constituency, Dharmadam, was declared Kerala’s first “extreme poverty-free” constituency. Now, the state is extending that achievement to the entire population.

Traditionally, poverty has been measured mainly through income, focusing on how many people lived with very low income or consumption levels—for instance, the UN and World Bank define “extreme poverty” as

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