We hope in 2024, the poverty rate will fall to zero percent
Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin presented social rehabilitation assistance arranged by the Social Affairs Ministry to people with disabilities and the elderly in Banjarmasin and Banjarbaru cities of South Kalimantan on Thursday.



"We hope in 2024, the poverty rate will fall to zero percent," Amin said here.



He symbolically presented the assistance to five recipients while accompanied by South Kalimantan Governor Sahbirin Noor.



The assistance worth Rp1.9 billion (US$123 thousand) comprised school utensils, bicycles, rice cookers and other kitchen appliances, mattresses, cosmetics, and clothes, and was meant for 638 recipients.


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Amin said that the social rehabilitation assistance demonstrated the government's commitment to fulfilling its responsibility to provide assistance for poorer residents.



The government will also empower poorer residents to help reduce the poverty rate, he added.



"During the COVID-19 pandemic, the improvement in our poverty rate was halted, yet at this time, the rate is improving gradually. Furthermore, Indonesia is affected by food, energy, and financial crises occurring at the global level," the Vice President highlighted.


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The social rehabilitation assistance is implementing family- and community-based approaches to ensure the basic needs of more residents are fulfilled, Amin noted.



The government is also committed to providing child social care, family support, physical and mental therapy, vocational and entrepreneurship training, and accessibility support, he added.



The Vice President earlier opened the XXIX National Quran Recitation Competition (MTQ) in Banjar district on Wednesday (October 12, 2022) during his working visit to South Kalimantan.



While opening the ceremony, he lauded the MTQ event for its huge impact in promoting the love of the Quran among Muslims, demonstrated by a significant increase in the number of Quran boarding schools and Quran memorization schools nationwide each year.


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Translator: Imam H/Latif T, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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