Kerala has officially been declared an “extreme poverty-free state”, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced on Saturday. With this, it became the first state in the country to make such a declaration.

During a special session of the Assembly, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader said that the celebration of the 69th anniversary of the state’s formation marked the birth of a new era for Kerala, The Hindu reported.

However, the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front rejected the declaration made by the Left Democratic Front government, describing it as “pure fraud”, The Times of India reported. The UDF also boycotted the special session.

The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than $1.90, or around Rs 170, per person per day. However, Indi

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