Kottayam: Kerala Minister for Local Self Government, M B Rajesh, on Saturday declared Kottayam district free of extreme poverty.
Speaking at an event held in Kottayam, Rajesh said the district is leading the way in achieving the state government’s ambitious goal of making Kerala entirely free of extreme poverty.
State Cooperation Minister V N Vasavan, who presided over the function, hailed the achievement and noted that Kottayam is probably the first district in the country to attain this milestone.
Rajesh highlighted that the first decision taken by the current LDF government was to eradicate extreme poverty across Kerala. As part of this initiative, a detailed survey identified 64,006 families living in extreme poverty. He added that such a comprehensive effort had previously been attempted only in China.
Microplans were then prepared for each family, and according to the minister, 93 per cent of these families have now been lifted out of extreme poverty. He also said that other states have taken note of Kerala’s progress.
The government is working towards this goal by providing houses to the homeless through the LIFE project and allocating land to the landless, Rajesh said.
Minister Vasavan explained that Kottayam stood out for its speed in completing data collection and implementing microplans. In the district, 903 families were identified as extremely poor in the final list, and 978 microplans were prepared for them by August 2022.
Based on these microplans, local self-government bodies provided food, medicines, palliative care, and health support services, including essential equipment. In addition, income-generating opportunities were created for over 150 families, Vasavan added.