Centre Clarifies Kerala Will Not Lose Benefits After Poverty-Free Declaration; UDF–BJP Narrative Falls Flat

Thiruvananthapuram: The Opposition’s misinformation campaign against Kerala’s declaration as a state free of extreme poverty has fallen apart after the Centre clarified the matter in Parliament. The UDF–BJP front had been claiming that more than five lakh Antyodaya cardholders would lose their ration benefits following the announcement. They also alleged that Kerala would no longer receive central assistance. NK Premachandran MP repeatedly pushed these claims in television debates as well.

However, the Union Minister’s reply in the Lok Sabha to Premachandran categorically dismissed these assertions. The Minister made it clear that Antyodaya beneficiaries would not lose their ration entitlements and that there would be no interruption in central aid to Kerala.

The extreme poverty–free declaration had received nationwide attention as a significant social achievement. Yet, instead of acknowledging the state’s progress, the Opposition attempted to cast it in a negative light for political purposes. The statement in Parliament has now completely exposed and dismantled that narrative.