India, Nov. 4 -- Kerala's Chief Minister, and CPM's Pinnati Vijayan has defied electoral and political history in the state. Against all odds, he won a consecutive mandate for the Left Alliance in the assembly elections. Perhaps, he seeks yet another glory, and a win for the third time in the state polls that are due in April, 2026. To set a tom cat among the political pigeons, the chief minister grandly announced that Kerala was the first Indian state to eradicate extreme poverty.

Look at the words, and the phrase carefully. You may have read and heard about the poor, and poverty. But what is the meaning of 'extreme poverty?' It is quite simple. According to the World Bank, if an individual spends less than $2.15 per day, he or she is s...