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AKARTA: The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) will conduct a census to gather data on Indonesia’s poor from July 15 to August 14 to provide more accurate data for the government’s poverty alleviation programs.

BPS deputy chief for social statistics Wynandin Imawan said in Jakarta on Tuesday the new database would be used by the National Team for Accelerating Poverty Reduction (TNP2K), led by Vice President Boediono, in its poor alleviation programs.

The TNP2K is targeting to reduce poverty from 14.1 percent in 2009 to between 8 percent and 10 percent by 2014.

“We are focusing on the 12.5 percent of Indonesians below the poverty line and 27.5 percent of Indonesians living close to the poverty line. This 40 percent of Indonesia’s population, or approximately 100 million people, is classified as lower income,” Wynandin said after the announcement of the agency’s Social Safety Net Program Data Collection (PPLS) plan.

The BPS said the 2011 national poverty line was Rp 233,740 (US$27.40) per capita per month, or Rp 1.2 million per month per household of five family members. The poverty line in Jakarta is Rp 355,480 per capita per month, or Rp 1.8 million per month per household of five. — JP