With just a month remaining until the Kerala State government’s ambitious declaration of an “extreme poverty-free” state, the Ernakulam district administration proudly reports that it’s on the verge of reaching this monumental goal.
As the November 1st deadline for the statewide declaration approaches, local officials in Ernakulam are working diligently to finalize the land allotment process for beneficiaries. The Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme (EPEP) has, in its concluding stages, placed a strong emphasis on providing stable housing, particularly for individuals and families identified as landless through the initiative.
Within Ernakulam district alone, a comprehensive survey pinpointed 217 beneficiaries who lacked any land to construct a home. Significant progress has been made, with 149 of these individuals already receiving land. The necessary procedures to issue title deeds for the remaining 68 are actively being processed, according to district officials.
Among the 68 individuals still awaiting land, 38 reside in Kanayannur taluk, making it the area with the highest number of pending allotments. The distribution across other regions includes 12 families in Kochi taluk, 14 in Kunnathunad, and four in Aluva taluk. Notably, 29 of the Kanayannur beneficiaries are within the Kochi Corporation’s jurisdiction. Each eligible recipient is entitled to up to five cents of land for house construction under the program. Authorities confirm that land has been identified for the majority, and the process of issuing title deeds is well underway.
To facilitate this, the district panchayat has acquired land for some beneficiaries, purchasing it at ₹2 lakh per cent in suitable areas. For others, officials have successfully identified appropriate ‘poramboke’ (government-owned) land. Furthermore, financial aid has been disbursed to 259 beneficiaries for new home construction and to 360 for essential house maintenance, all under the umbrella of the EPEP.
P. H. Shine, Project Director for EPEP in Ernakulam, highlighted the program’s dual focus: “The initial phase was dedicated to securing fundamental needs like food, healthcare, and livelihood support for the most vulnerable, and we’ve successfully met those objectives. Our current concentrated effort is on completing the critical housing component before the impending deadline.”
The Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme, a flagship initiative, was inaugurated in 2021 as one of the very first Cabinet decisions of the incumbent Left Democratic Front government. Following extensive ground-level surveys, an astounding 64,006 families across Kerala were identified as living in extreme poverty. Tailored micro-plans were subsequently developed for each family, addressing both their immediate and long-term requirements.