Indonesia optimistic about decline in poverty rates

from Zee News

Coordinating Minister for People Welfare Aburizal Bakrie is optimistic that poverty and unemployment rates in Indonesia can be reduced significantly in 2007.

This optimism is based on programmes and more funds allocated by several ministries under his coordination in eradicating poverty and the creation of jobs, Aburizal said here yesterday in a press briefing on 2006 program evaluation and 2007 program implementation.

The minister further said that to cope with poverty, the government already had a National Poverty Eradication Programme (PNPM) by increasing the portion of revolving funds expected to help create new jobs.

He said the program was expected to help create 12.5 million to 14.4 million jobs per year. In addition, the government would also integrate the poverty eradication programme with the PNPM in 19 ministries.

PNPM covers 33 provinces, 2,891 sub-districts and 33,527 villages, or 31.92 million poor people across the country by providing RP 4.43 trillion.

Aburizal also said the government promoted other programmes to cut a chain of poverty of one generation to the next generation, to optimize the use of a certain tree to make sugar, intensify the collection of national tithe (zakat) to help the poor and the national drive for building one million homes.

Apart from these, the government will also increase the development of micro ventures, biofuel and poverty trust funds.