New Delhi, Nov. 4 -- The Kerala government's claim that it has eradicated extreme poverty in the state has been met with scepticism among economists and other experts. They have questioned the empirical basis of this declaration and the process that was followed to achieve it. Mint examines the issue.

On 1 November, which also happened to be the Kerala formation day, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared that the state was free from extreme poverty. In other words, no households in the state lacked basic necessities of life.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government attributed this success to its extreme poverty eradication project (EPEP) initiated in 2021. Kerala became the first state in the country to do so.

According to the Wor...