Efforts were on to eradicate extreme poverty in Kerala by November 2025 under a poverty alleviation project to uplift 0.5% of people living in such conditions in the State, said M.G. Rajamanickam, Principal Director, Local Self-Government department, in Kochi on Saturday.
The project will cover a total of 64,000 families in the State that has the least number of people living in poverty. Short-, medium- and long-term micro plans have been developed to improve the lot of the families, depending on their circumstances. Over a dozen people from the transgender community and those who are bedridden are among those who have been covered under the project. Help is being given in the form of medicines, food kits, prepared food items in extreme cases, and income-generating modes. Local bodies and Kudumbashree self-help group members were playing their part in the initiative, he added. Mr. Rajamanickam was speaking at a seminar on ‘Extreme poverty eradication’ held as part of the ongoing National Saras Mela at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor.
In his address, Thrissur District Collector V.R. Krishna Teja narrated how the ‘Oru Pidi Nanma’ project that he had initiated as the Collector of Alappuzha had helped schoolchildren play their part in uplifting families living in extreme poverty. They even helped build toilets for such households. In the case of Thrissur, companies too are helping in such an initiative.
Kudumbashree Executive Director Jafar Malik, who moderated the session, said involving schoolchildren as stakeholders in poverty alleviation projects was proof that those outside the government system also could render help in a systematic manner.
The other speakers highlighted the role that Kudumbashree members had been playing in uplifting those living in poverty.
The National Saras Mela that features 40 food courts and 250 stalls has been extended up to January 2, considering the increase in footfall during the New Year season.
