After Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan declared the state extreme-poverty free, the Opposition UDF led by Congress called it a "sheer hoax". "If Kerala is declared extreme-poverty free, will it not deprive the Union government's ration provision for six lakh Antyodaya Anna Yojana ration card holders?" Congress' VD Satheesan asked. Vijayan said Kerala is the first Indian state to achieve this.