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File No. SS-KL-SWE-004 · Kerala State Scheme · Kudumbashree Mission with Local Self Government Institutions

Asraya — Destitute Free Kerala (Kudumbashree)

A Kudumbashree programme in which neighbourhood groups identify destitute families and the panchayat prepares a tailored plan for each — a monthly food kit, housing, health care and pension linkage. There is no application: the local body identifies the family.

What this scheme offers

Asraya — the Destitute Identification, Rehabilitation and Monitoring Project, redesigned in 2017 as Destitute Free Kerala — is Kudumbashree's programme for families with no one to look after them. It was piloted in 179 grama panchayats in 2003 and by 2015 ran in 890 panchayats and 32 urban bodies. Neighbourhood groups first identify destitute families using a nine-point indicator, the local body re-checks them, and the panchayat then prepares an individual micro-project for each family covering what it lacks: a monthly food kit, housing and house maintenance, drinking water, sanitation, health care, clothing, welfare pensions, schooling and training for self-employment. Funding combines the panchayat's plan funds, block and district panchayats, central schemes and a state co-financing share. The beneficiaries are families, not individuals, and there are no application forms.

Who is eligible

  • A destitute family identified by its Kudumbashree neighbourhood group using the nine-point indicator and confirmed by the local body.
  • There is no application — the grama panchayat identifies the family; you cannot apply to be included, but you can bring a family to the attention of the ward member or CDS.
  • The support is tailored to each family's needs through a micro-project: it can include food, a house, health care, pension and livelihood training.
  • If a house is built for a destitute family, ownership passes to the grama panchayat if no one in the family survives.

Documents required

  • No application documents — the family is enrolled by the local body
  • Identity documents such as Aadhaar and ration card help the panchayat link the family to pensions and the food kit
  • Health and disability certificates, where the family needs them for related schemes

How to apply

  1. Do not wait for a form: tell your ward member or the Kudumbashree Community Development Society (CDS) about a destitute family that has been missed.
  2. The neighbourhood group assesses the family against the nine-point indicator, and the local body re-checks it.
  3. The panchayat prepares a micro-project listing the family's needs and the departments that will meet them.
  4. The family begins to receive the monthly food kit, housing help, health support and linkage to pensions as the project is sanctioned.
  5. Kudumbashree and the local body monitor the family's progress and review the plan.

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