Thiruvananthapuram: In a landmark declaration coinciding with Kerala Piravi Day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday announced that Kerala has become the first state in India to eradicate extreme poverty, marking what he described as a transformative milestone in the state’s welfare history.

This announcement was made at a special one-day sitting of the 140-member Kerala Assembly that was convened at 9 a.m.

However, the event was marred by protests from the opposition Congress-led UDF, which boycotted the session, terming the declaration “a grand deception”.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan alleged that the move was “a scripted publicity show”, noting that advertisements proclaiming Kerala as poverty-free had already appeared in newspapers before the Assembly met.

Opposi

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