Alappuzha on track to eliminate extreme poverty

Alappuzha is set to become a district without extreme poverty. According to officials, around 95% of the families identified as extremely poor have been lifted out of poverty.

Of the 3,613 families identified as extremely poor, 3,398 have been uplifted so far and efforts to free the remaining families from extreme poverty are progressing rapidly in the district.

In the extreme poverty list, 276 families were identified as needing houses. Among them, the construction of houses for 219 families has been completed, while work on the remaining houses is in progress. The number of families that required both land and houses was 196. Out of these, 146 families have been provided with land. Among them, 41 families have already completed house construction, while the rest are at various stages of completion.

For 17 families who identified land, funds were arranged through the Chittilappilly Foundation. For the others, land was purchased and provided by local bodies and various departments. Officials said that steps were under way to provide flats for 50 landless and homeless families for whom purchasing land was not possible. Repairs to the houses of 404 families who required maintenance have already been completed.

Micro-plans

Based on the factors of food, health, housing, and income, extremely poor families in the district were identified as per the guidelines issued in July 2021. To ensure that all necessary assistance reached these families, micro-plans were prepared and implemented under the leadership of local self-government institutions.

According to the micro-plans, all families in need were provided with food, medicines, palliative care, and health-care equipment and support.

As part of the ‘Avakasham Athivegam’ campaign, those without basic documents were provided with ration cards, Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards, health insurance, and social security pensions. A total of 1,423 such essential documents were distributed in the district.

Through Kudumbashree Mission’s Ujjeevanam project and various departmental schemes, livelihood opportunities were created for 204 families. In addition, under a special government order, children from extremely poor families who passed the Class X examinations were given the opportunity to pursue their higher studies close to home.