THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday declared Kerala free of extreme poverty, saying it was the first state to achieve the feat. He made the announcement during a special assembly session convened to mark the state’s 69th formation day.Congress-led opposition, however, walked out of the House, terming the declaration a politically motivated “hoax”, made without any scientific basis.The CM said the Left govt had through a meticulous process identified 64,006 extremely poor families and lifted them out of abject poverty through micro plans. He added that successive govts had contributed to this achievement over time.Vijayan said the accomplishment marked a major milestone in the march towards creating a new Kerala. “Every Kerala Piravi Day (state foundation day) is celebrated with joy. However, this year’s Kerala Piravi Day marks a new dawn. Today, Kerala makes history by becoming the first Indian state without extreme poverty. The eradication of extreme poverty was a major decision taken at the first cabinet meeting after the new (Left) ministry was sworn in in 2021,” the CM said.The project began with the identification of beneficiary families “through a comprehensive participatory process”. “This list was presented in Gram Sabhas, from which 1,03,099 individuals from 64,006 families across 1,032 local bodies were identified as extremely poor, “ the CM explained.“Food, health, housing, and income were considered as the distress factors for identifying the extremely poor. Subsequently, micro plans were prepared for each family,” he added.For the financial years 2023–24 and 2024–25, Rs 50 crore each was allocated for the project and Rs 60 crore for 2025–26. “These funds were utilised for healthcare, housing and livelihood support…,” Vijayan said.Among the 64,006 families, 4,677 families required homes, which were built under the LIFE Mission, the CM said. Similarly, 2,713 families were first provided land and then assistance for house construction.