What does Kerala’s Zero Extreme Poverty announcement really mean

Kerala has declared that it has “eradicated extreme poverty,” identifying over one lakh people as the final few remaining in this category in the State. But what does “extreme poverty” actually mean, and is it possible for a State to eradicate it?

This episode unpacks the definitions, the methodology used by the State, the gap between Kerala’s estimates and the Central government’s Antyodaya Anna Yojana’s numbers, and the wider questions this raises about poverty measurement and verification. The conversation also looks at whether States should set their own criteria, what an ideal poverty tracking system should look like, and how journalists can independently assess such claims.

Guest: Prof. R. Ramakumar, Former Dean of the School of Development Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and a non-ministerial member of the Kerala government’s State Planning Board

Host: Devyanshi Bihani

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