(MENAFN- Live Mint) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday declared in the assembly that the state was free of extreme poverty. Vijayan made the announcement in a special session of the House convened on the occasion of Kerala 'Piravi' or formation day.

Addressing the Assembly, Vijayan said,“Every Kerala Piravi (State Formation Day), we celebrate with joy. But this year's Kerala Piravi Day is, for the people of Kerala, the dawn of a new era.”

“Today's Kerala Piravi marks a place in history because we have succeeded in making Kerala the first Indian state without extreme poverty,” he announced.

Also Read | Lionel Messi's Kerala trip postponed; why Argentina aren't travelling to India?

The Chief Minister said that the concept of forming linguistic states was forwarded by the national movement a century ago.“However, in the early years after independence, long and intense struggles were required to achieve it.”

“The culmination of those struggles was the formation of a united Kerala, the realisation of the Malayalis' dream. Today marks 69 years since the creation of a united Kerala,” he added.

Vijayan highlighted that the eradication of extreme poverty was one of the key decisions taken at the very first cabinet meeting after the new ministry was sworn in in 2021.“It was also the beginning of fulfilling one of the most important promises made to the people during the Legislative Assembly election.”

Also Read | Kerala's push for faster public services sounds good-but will it work? How did Kerala achieve this feat?

The Kerala government said it initiated the process of identifying families living in extreme poverty. Within two months, they witnessed active public participation from various stakeholders, including MLAs, local body representatives, Kudumbashree workers, volunteers, and officials, to help improve their status.

The project began with a pilot implementation in Wadakkanchery Municipality and the Anchuthengu and Thirunelli Grama Panchayats, before being expanded to the entire state. The initiative involved identifying beneficiary families through collective feedback and suggestions from all sections of society.

Also Read | PM Modi extends greetings on Kerala Piravi -A look at its history, significance

“This historic project began by identifying beneficiary families through the participation of all sections of society and by incorporating ideas that emerged from their collective feedback and suggestions. The identification of extreme poverty was first implemented on a pilot basis in Wadakkanchery Municipality and the Anchuthengu and Thirunelli Grama Panchayats. It was later expanded to the entire state,” the CM shared.

(With agency inputs)

MENAFN01112025007365015876ID1110279031