Two Strategies for Handling Extreme Poverty, Vice President Reveals

VIVA – The Indonesian vice government Ma'ruf Amin reveals that there are two main strategies to handle extreme poverty as the government is targeting zero extreme poverty by 2024.

"In 2024, we (the government) are targeting extreme poverty at zero percent. It can achieve by two main strategies, namely increasing income and reducing burdens," the Vice President stated during the Strengthening Development and Empowerment of Village Communities Towards a Stunting and Extreme Poverty-Free Indonesia, on Friday at Sahid Bela Hotel in Ternate, North Maluku. 

Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), more than 9 percent of Indonesia's population is categorized as poor, and around 2 percent is categorized as extremely poor. 

Based on this, the Vice President asked all stakeholders to collaborate to handle extreme poverty to zero percent by 2024.

"I ask all parties to seriously strengthen cross-agency coordination and sharpen poverty reduction intervention activities in various sectors," Vice President Amin explained. 

In particular, the Vice President asked village facilitators to increase their role in efforts to overcome extreme poverty.

"Village assistants should assist village heads and officials in strengthening program convergence in pockets of poverty, especially areas of concentration of extremely poor families," he remarked. 

Previously, Secretary General of the Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration (Kemendes PDTT) Taufik Madjid revealed that the realization of zero percent extreme poverty in 2024 has now been carried out through the Village Fund which has been channeled into village cash accounts.

"Through village funds that are channeled directly to village cash accounts, villages in Indonesia have contributed greatly, one of which is to realize zero percent or close to zero percent extreme poverty by 2024," Madjid explained.