Massive poverty alleviation campaign to involve multiple ministries

from The Jakarta Post

Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As part of its effort to alleviate poverty, the government has launched a new program that is expected to be more successful than previous poverty eradication programs and will not "miss the proper targets".

The so-called Hopeful Family Program or PKH scheme, launched Monday, was designed by the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) and will be an inter-ministry program involving the Social Services Ministry, Health Ministry, Communication and Information Ministry and Education Ministry, as well as the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) and PT Pos Indonesia.

Under the PKH scheme, each family living under the poverty line with a monthly income less than Rp 151,997 (US$16.88) as set by the BPS, will receive direct cash aid of Rp 200,000 per year on top of health and education aid, totaling a minimum amount of Rp 600,000 and a maximum of Rp 2.2 million per year. The funds will be distributed through local post offices.

Seven provinces are to be targeted under the scheme: Jakarta, particularly North Jakarta, East Java, West Java, East Nusa Tenggara, Gorontalo, North Sulawesi and West Sumatra.

Social Services Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah said the program will be targeted at families expecting a new child or with children aged up to 15 years old.

"In the initial phase, the program will be aimed at 500,000 poor families in seven provinces with a budget of Rp 1 trillion," he said.

"Next year we will target an additional 200,000 families."

The seven provinces were selected due to several factors, including high levels of poverty, approvals from provincial administrations to undertake the program and the provinces' preparedness in terms of health and education facilities, he said.

To receive the aid, families should fulfill certain requirements, such as expectant mothers undergoing at least four medical check-ups during the maternity period.

Families with children aged less than one year should take their children to local community health centers to receive immunizations, while those with children aged seven to 15 years should ensure their children complete their education up to junior high school, with a minimum attendance level of 85 percent per year.

If families fail to meet the requirements, they will no longer receive aid. The Social Services Ministry will deploy monitoring teams to ensure aid goes to the right recipients.