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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Vice President Boediono said the government is to form a special body to overcome poverty which will operate under his leadership.

"So to implement efforts to overcome poverty there will be a special body to be named National Committee for Poverty Alleviation and I will be its chair," he said at a press conference here on Friday.

This was the first press conference held by the new vice president, aimed at explaining various programs to be carried out by the government in the first 100 days in office and in the next five years.

Boediono said there would be several changes with regard to poverty alleviation efforts. As an example he said the direct cash subsidy program carried out so far would be improved. "It would not be in the form of cash handout but would be given upon certain conditions," he said.

He said the role of sub-district-based healthcare centers (Puskesmas) would be boosted to cover not only treating the sick but also conducting preventive guidance.

Boediono said assistance would later be given based upon needs. So if a poor family needs assistance for children`s schooling the government would give an education aid while it would give hospital or medical cost assistance if a family needs health assistance.

"The key is a clear target in terms of needs and target persons," he said.
So, in order to know the targets valid and complete data would be needed and therefore the Central Bureau of Statistics is currently making an inventory of the poor families. Boediono said the data would be detailed to cover families.

He said "there will be a nationwide data base covering sub-districts, villages, neighbourhoods and families."

The vice president said the government expected to boost the country`s economic growth to reach above seven percent while the unemployment rate was expected to drop to five to six percent from 8.1 percnet before.

He said the government would also curb the number of poor population to eight to 10 percent from previously 14 percent.

To achieve all that he said an investment of up to Rp2,000 trillion a year would be needed and 15 to 19 percent of it would be met by the national budget and the rest from private or foreign parties.(*)

Editor: Heru
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