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President orders ministers to cut economic disparity
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo discusses poverty and inequality alleviation programs during a Cabinet meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday. (Courtesy of the Presidential Office/-)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has instructed his ministers to further reduce economic disparity by stepping up the implementation of the government’s poverty eradication program.
“We have to work as hard as we can. [Economic] disparity should be further cut, both between the haves and have-nots and between the regions,” said Jokowi while chairing a Cabinet meeting at the Bogor Palace on Wednesday as reported by kontan.com.
Indonesia managed to reduce its Gini ratio to 0.387 in March 2016, from 0.402 in September, 2015, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
(Read also: Inequality key factor in radicalization: Wahid Institute)
The President also stressed the need to further cut the poverty rate from 10.86 percent in July 2016 to 10.5 percent next year.
As part of the effort to cut the poverty rate, the President has ordered the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister to speed up the process of redistribution of land to the people through formalization of land ownership.
This is needed to help the people, particularly farmers, use their land to improve their welfare, Jokowi added.
Jokowi also ordered the Environment and Forestry Minister to support the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister to implement the program. The President instructed the ministers to set land certification and land concession targets for the next two years. (bbn)
