Poverty Remains High

Karanganyar (Antara Bali) - Poverty remains high in the country and therefore it needs serious handling, Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf Al Jufri said in Karanganyar, Central Java on Monday.

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) in March 2011 indicated that there were 30.03 million people living in poverty in the country, while in September 2011 the number had dropped to 29.89 million, representing 12.36 percent of the population.

Therefore, the social affairs minister said the poverty eradication efforts by the Ministry of Social Affairs would be directed at increasing the productivity of poor families through the Productive Economic Business (UEP) program.

Salim was on a working visit to Karanganyar district to distribute aid valued at Rp2.8 billion for the productive economic business program in the district.

He said such a program was implemented through the Social Empowerment Approach in Joint Business Group (KUBE) because the goal of this program would assist poor families to become more productive.(IGT)