"We want to partner with universities, collaborate, and support each other in addressing poverty issues," Yusuf made the statement during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Social Affairs and the East Java Indonesian Rector Forum here on Monday.
The minister emphasized that poverty alleviation efforts must be conducted with diligence, grounded in current data, and executed with effectiveness and on target.
President Prabowo Subianto has set a goal of eliminating extreme poverty by 2025 or, at the latest, 2026.
He further mentioned that the broader objective is to decrease the overall poverty rate to below five percent within the next five years.
"This target is very ambitious. Therefore, we want all parties to be involved, not just the central and regional governments but also universities," he remarked.
He underscored the significance of a collaborative approach, in which all stakeholders work together rather than independently.
He clarified that this collaborative approach is necessary to ensure that actions are quantifiable and rooted in academic research, which is the reason for his ministry's collaboration with universities in specific regions.
Moreover, he made assurance that the distribution of social assistance is proceeding without any budget cuts.
"There are no issues with the distribution of social assistance. It is ongoing," he noted.
Furthermore, if necessary, the government is prepared to augment the social assistance budget under President Prabowo Subianto's directive.
In this regard, the government currently focuses on completing the update of aid recipient data to make it more accurate and reflective of real conditions in the field, he added.
Related news: Budget efficiency to not affect public services, social aid: PCO
Related news: Govt to provide aid to 3.1 million extremely poor
Translator: Indra S, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
