Chennai: The Chairman of Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra, shared a video on social media about the Kottayam model with zero poverty and urged the Indian government to replicate the model throughout the country. Anand Mahindra said that most of the solutions to the country’s problem lie in the backyard and similarly to curb poverty the simple yet profound answers are education and compassion.
Anand Mahindra, posting a video of a senior journalist Joe A Scaria said, “Often, solutions to the world’s most intractable problems lie in our own backyard. What’s the template for cities/towns of the future? The answer is simple yet profound: Education & Compassion. Not Toronto or Shanghai; can the Kottayam model be replicated throughout the country?”
In a report by NITI Aayog, Kottayam in Kerala is the only place with zero poverty in the country.
In the video shared by Mahindra, Joe A Scaria said, the two aspects that helped Kottayam district achieve the feat are education and compassion.
He said, “Kottayam already captured the attention in 1989 when it became the first town in the country to be fully literate. Education in Kottayam was equitable and not discriminate against women. So it's more than a coincidence that the district collector, police chief and panchayat president are all women.”
Also Read | Kottayam Only District With Zero Poverty: NITI Aayog's Poverty Index Report
Good education also gives compassion, which is the second ingredient for Kottyam’s success, he said. Hence, he said, “One of the best examples is the Nava Jeevan trust led by PU Thomas that now serves more than 5000 people every day in the district.”
Therefore, Scaria said that the people who have not been to Kottayam can visit the district and have food with no guilt since no other person is starving in the district.