0 Poverty rate to be set at 1 percent

Bali provincial administration has pledged to reduce its annual poverty rate to only 1 percent by the end of 2013, from 3.95 percent in 2012. Speaking at a monthly gathering, Governor Made Mangku Pastika explained it was not an ambitious target. “We have so many poverty alleviation programs aimed at improving people’s living conditions,” the governor said. Under his governorship, Pastika has launched several programs, including Simantri — an integrated farming program, the Bali Mandara free healthcare scheme and an integrated village and community development program. According to data from the Bali Statistics Agency, the number of poor residents reached 160,950 people as of September 2012, a reduction from the 168,780 people in March 2012. “I expect that the number of poor people in Bali will reach only 1 percent of the island’s 4 million population,” he said.

source : bali daily