Deputy for the Coordination of Social Welfare Improvement at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture Nunung Nuryartono made the statement after attending the National Consolidation Forum on Efforts to Accelerate Extreme Poverty Eradication here on Monday.
Nuryartono highlighted that efforts to lower the burden of poor families are being made through social assistance programs, such as the Family Hope Program (PKH) and the Indonesian Smart Card (KIP) program.
The second strategy of increasing the income of poor people is implemented through community empowerment programs, he further elaborated.
In this case, the government is carrying out the Labor Intensive Program, among others, to increase the income of poor people.
The program, which is run by the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, facilitates extremely poor people in the country to work and obtain more income.
Moreover, other programs, including the Nusantara Economic Heroes and the Smallholder Business Credit (KUR), are aimed at supporting the development of businesses and job creation.
Furthermore, he noted that the efforts to reduce pockets of poverty necessitated cross-sectoral cooperation between institutions.
He affirmed that the implementation of those three strategies has aided in reducing Indonesia's extreme poverty rate, from 1.74 percent in September 2022 to 1.12 percent in March 2023.
According to information from the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, extreme poverty is a condition of the inability of people to meet basic needs, namely food, clean water, proper sanitation, health, housing, education, and access to information on income and social services.
A person is categorized as extremely poor if his or her spending is below Rp10,739 (around US$0.71) per person per day, or Rp322,170 (around US$21.43) per person per month.
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Translator: Sean Filo, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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