Govt allocates Rp51 trillion to reduce poverty

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government will allocate Rp51 trillion to reduce the country`s high poverty and unemployment rate next year.

The government is optimistic with the synergized measures taken by the central government and regional administrations, in trying to meet the target of lowering the poverty rate to 8.5% in 2009, Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said in a statement read out by his special staff, Lalu Mara, here on Thursday.

It was also reported that the head of state had instructed Economic Affairs Coordinating Minister Budiono to immediately synergize the central government`s policy and the target to lower the proverty rate.

According to Aburizal, there were two short-cut programs designed to reduce poverty, namely Subdistrict Development Program and Urban Poverty Handling Program which were integrated into the Community Empowerment National Program.

Furthermore many efforts of the people`s welfare coordinating ministry in the field of manpower, poverty eradication, education and health had showed positive results.

Short-term challenges faced by the people`s welfare coordinating minister include lowering the poverty rate, birth rate and infant mortality rate.

It was admitted that in 2006, the poverty rate increased by 17.8 percent, as the serious challenge of the ministry in a short term was how to revive the trend in pursuing the declining target of poverty to 8.5 percent in 2009.

In education, the main focus was more given to educational access especially to the junior high school (SMP) students, quality improvement and educational management.

To improve the quality and competitiveness of education as could be seen on the average grade of their national tests (SMP), the grade of national condition in 2004 was 5.26, while its realization in 2005 reached 6.28. But the target in 2006 was about 6.54, and 7,05 realized.

"We concluded that the majority of the education target could be met. In the future, BLT program could be used as a solution to improve the result of education," he said.