diff --git a/pkg/db/backend.go b/pkg/db/backend.go
index c319d99..b2547c2 100644
--- a/pkg/db/backend.go
+++ b/pkg/db/backend.go
@@ -17,23 +17,36 @@
 package db
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"github.com/opencord/voltha-lib-go/v2/pkg/db/kvstore"
 	"github.com/opencord/voltha-lib-go/v2/pkg/log"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 	"strconv"
 	"sync"
+	"time"
+)
+
+const (
+	// Default Minimal Interval for posting alive state of backend kvstore on Liveness Channel
+	DefaultLivenessChannelInterval = time.Second * 30
 )
 
 // Backend structure holds details for accessing the kv store
 type Backend struct {
 	sync.RWMutex
-	Client     kvstore.Client
-	StoreType  string
-	Host       string
-	Port       int
-	Timeout    int
-	PathPrefix string
+	Client                  kvstore.Client
+	StoreType               string
+	Host                    string
+	Port                    int
+	Timeout                 int
+	PathPrefix              string
+	alive                   bool          // Is this backend connection alive?
+	liveness                chan bool     // channel to post alive state
+	LivenessChannelInterval time.Duration // regularly push alive state beyond this interval
+	lastLivenessTime        time.Time     // Instant of last alive state push
 }
 
 // NewBackend creates a new instance of a Backend structure
@@ -41,11 +54,13 @@
 	var err error
 
 	b := &Backend{
-		StoreType:  storeType,
-		Host:       host,
-		Port:       port,
-		Timeout:    timeout,
-		PathPrefix: pathPrefix,
+		StoreType:               storeType,
+		Host:                    host,
+		Port:                    port,
+		Timeout:                 timeout,
+		LivenessChannelInterval: DefaultLivenessChannelInterval,
+		PathPrefix:              pathPrefix,
+		alive:                   false, // connection considered down at start
 	}
 
 	address := host + ":" + strconv.Itoa(port)
@@ -76,6 +91,100 @@
 	return path
 }
 
+func (b *Backend) updateLiveness(alive bool) {
+	// Periodically push stream of liveness data to the channel,
+	// so that in a live state, the core does not timeout and
+	// send a forced liveness message. Push alive state if the
+	// last push to channel was beyond livenessChannelInterval
+	if b.liveness != nil {
+
+		if b.alive != alive {
+			log.Debug("update-liveness-channel-reason-change")
+			b.liveness <- alive
+			b.lastLivenessTime = time.Now()
+		} else if time.Now().Sub(b.lastLivenessTime) > b.LivenessChannelInterval {
+			log.Debug("update-liveness-channel-reason-interval")
+			b.liveness <- alive
+			b.lastLivenessTime = time.Now()
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Emit log message only for alive state change
+	if b.alive != alive {
+		log.Debugw("change-kvstore-alive-status", log.Fields{"alive": alive})
+		b.alive = alive
+	}
+}
+
+// Perform a dummy Key Lookup on kvstore to test Connection Liveness and
+// post on Liveness channel
+func (b *Backend) PerformLivenessCheck(timeout int) bool {
+	alive := b.Client.IsConnectionUp(timeout)
+	log.Debugw("kvstore-liveness-check-result", log.Fields{"alive": alive})
+
+	b.updateLiveness(alive)
+	return alive
+}
+
+// Enable the liveness monitor channel. This channel will report
+// a "true" or "false" on every kvstore operation which indicates whether
+// or not the connection is still Live. This channel is then picked up
+// by the service (i.e. rw_core / ro_core) to update readiness status
+// and/or take other actions.
+func (b *Backend) EnableLivenessChannel() chan bool {
+	log.Debug("enable-kvstore-liveness-channel")
+
+	if b.liveness == nil {
+		log.Debug("create-kvstore-liveness-channel")
+
+		// Channel size of 10 to avoid any possibility of blocking in Load conditions
+		b.liveness = make(chan bool, 10)
+
+		// Post initial alive state
+		b.liveness <- b.alive
+		b.lastLivenessTime = time.Now()
+	}
+
+	return b.liveness
+}
+
+// Extract Alive status of Kvstore based on type of error
+func (b *Backend) isErrorIndicatingAliveKvstore(err error) bool {
+	// Alive unless observed an error indicating so
+	alive := true
+
+	if err != nil {
+
+		// timeout indicates kvstore not reachable/alive
+		if err == context.DeadlineExceeded {
+			alive = false
+		}
+
+		// Need to analyze client-specific errors based on backend type
+		if b.StoreType == "etcd" {
+
+			// For etcd backend, consider not-alive only for errors indicating
+			// timedout request or unavailable/corrupted cluster. For all remaining
+			// error codes listed in https://godoc.org/google.golang.org/grpc/codes#Code,
+			// we would not infer a not-alive backend because such a error may also
+			// occur due to bad client requests or sequence of operations
+			switch status.Code(err) {
+			case codes.DeadlineExceeded:
+				fallthrough
+			case codes.Unavailable:
+				fallthrough
+			case codes.DataLoss:
+				alive = false
+			}
+
+			//} else {
+			// TODO: Implement for consul backend; would it be needed ever?
+		}
+	}
+
+	return alive
+}
+
 // List retrieves one or more items that match the specified key
 func (b *Backend) List(key string) (map[string]*kvstore.KVPair, error) {
 	b.Lock()
@@ -84,7 +193,11 @@
 	formattedPath := b.makePath(key)
 	log.Debugw("listing-key", log.Fields{"key": key, "path": formattedPath})
 
-	return b.Client.List(formattedPath, b.Timeout)
+	pair, err := b.Client.List(formattedPath, b.Timeout)
+
+	b.updateLiveness(b.isErrorIndicatingAliveKvstore(err))
+
+	return pair, err
 }
 
 // Get retrieves an item that matches the specified key
@@ -95,7 +208,11 @@
 	formattedPath := b.makePath(key)
 	log.Debugw("getting-key", log.Fields{"key": key, "path": formattedPath})
 
-	return b.Client.Get(formattedPath, b.Timeout)
+	pair, err := b.Client.Get(formattedPath, b.Timeout)
+
+	b.updateLiveness(b.isErrorIndicatingAliveKvstore(err))
+
+	return pair, err
 }
 
 // Put stores an item value under the specifed key
@@ -106,7 +223,11 @@
 	formattedPath := b.makePath(key)
 	log.Debugw("putting-key", log.Fields{"key": key, "value": string(value.([]byte)), "path": formattedPath})
 
-	return b.Client.Put(formattedPath, value, b.Timeout)
+	err := b.Client.Put(formattedPath, value, b.Timeout)
+
+	b.updateLiveness(b.isErrorIndicatingAliveKvstore(err))
+
+	return err
 }
 
 // Delete removes an item under the specified key
@@ -117,7 +238,11 @@
 	formattedPath := b.makePath(key)
 	log.Debugw("deleting-key", log.Fields{"key": key, "path": formattedPath})
 
-	return b.Client.Delete(formattedPath, b.Timeout)
+	err := b.Client.Delete(formattedPath, b.Timeout)
+
+	b.updateLiveness(b.isErrorIndicatingAliveKvstore(err))
+
+	return err
 }
 
 // CreateWatch starts watching events for the specified key