Govt aims to reduce poverty by 10 percent by 2014

The central government is targeting to reduce poverty by 10 percent by 2014 and expects to have at least a 1 percent reduction every year.

“We are targeting to reduce the existing poverty rate by between 11 and 11.5 percent. We hope we can reduce the rate at least 1 percent every year to be able to meet our target of up to 10 percent by 2014,” Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister Agung Laksono told reporters on Wednesday.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that Indonesia’s poverty rate stood at 12.3 percent last year.

Earlier, the BPS report revealed that poverty had been reduced by only 1.8 percent to 13.3 percent, from 15.1 percent between 1993 and 2010.

The BPS predicted in its report that the poverty rate in 2011 would stand at 12.49 percent.

As of March 2011, the number of low-income people reached 30.02 million, representing 12.49 percent of the 240 million population. That compares to 13.3 percent in March 2010, 14.15 percent in March 2009, 15.42 percent in March 2008, 16.58 percent in March 2007 and 17.75 percent in March 2006.

Agung was optimistic that the target could be met through hard work and better coordination among relevant ministries, which will all focus on five issues: education, health, disaster management, poverty reduction, and research and technology.

He said the government also targeted to expand the compulsory education program from nine years to 12 years in the next few years.

“One of the ways to meet the target is by providing more support, including the disbursement of School Operational Aid [BOS] funds. We will make sure there is better management of BOS, including its distribution this year,” he said.

The Education and Culture Ministry recorded that 258 regencies had not yet distributed the BOS funds to schools due to corrupt practices involving local officials as well as school administrators.

The Office of the Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister has also promised to do better in health and disaster management.

It expects to reduce the current maternal mortality rate of 228 per 100,000 live births to 102 per 100,000 live births in three years.

“To do so, the government has increased childbirth coverage for the poor, known as Jampersal, to Rp 1.6 trillion [US$176 million] this year. We will provide more support to help health workers, especially midwives, to serve pregnant women throughout the country,” Agung said.

Currently, the government provides universal coverage under the Jampersal childbirth coverage program. Jampersal, introduced in 2011, provides full coverage for women giving birth at community health centers (Puskesmas).

As for disaster management programs, Agung said that the government had earmarked Rp 4 trillion.

“The government has earmarked the largest portion of money for this program because we live in a
disaster-prone country,” he said.

Agung also claimed that the disaster mitigation program had also been the most successful program under his watch.

“Many countries, including Australia and the United States, want to learn from us in our handling of disasters. Maybe because Indonesia is a place of many kinds of disaster,” he said. (msa)