Sri Sultan sets helping the poor at top of agenda<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): New Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan
\nHamengkubuwono X set to work on Monday with his top priority
\nbeing finding ways to help the poor.<\/p>\n
Sri Sultan said the number of poor people had increased to at
\nleast 243,449 according to the current definition of those unable
\nto meet basic needs.<\/p>\n
In November last year it was reported that Yogyakarta had
\n303,800 poor people, or 10 percent of its population, entitled to
\nreceive presidential funds for the poor.<\/p>\n
At the time Mubyarto, assistant to the State Minister of
\nNational Development Planning in charge of presidential funds for
\nthe poor, put Yogyakarta in one of seven provinces where poverty
\nalleviation programs should be concentrated.<\/p>\n
On Monday Sri Sultan said: \"We will immediately carry out
\nconcrete steps to help those whose lives are made more difficult
\nin this crisis,\" he said, adding that the figure would likely
\nincrease in the months to come.<\/p>\n
The sultan said a day before his installment that he planned
\nto set up a sort of crisis center to devise programs for the
\npoor.<\/p>\n
\"After studying (policies), there are many local programs
\nwhich must be revised and oriented to the creation of as many
\njobs as possible,\" Sri Sultan said. The revision would lead to
\nYogyakarta's 73 districts becoming new centers of economic
\nactivity, he said.<\/p>\n
The planned measures, he said, would be the focusing of
\nbudgets to labor intensive projects, similar to the many projects
\nnow being held across the country.<\/p>\n
But learning from reports of failure or lack of efficiency in
\nother areas, he said, \"the Yogyakarta administration will draw up
\nlabor-intensive projects which the residents can still enjoy
\nafter its completion.\"<\/p>\n
He gave as an example the cultivation of land whose crops
\nwould be enjoyed by residents.<\/p>\n
Sri Sultan said the planned projects would involve
\ncoordination with related agencies. Road-building projects, for
\nexample, \"will be really seriously considered in light of their
\nnecessity,\" for instance given the link to the agricultural
\nsector.<\/p>\n
He said the administration would spend Rp 268.02 billion
\n(US$25.8 million) from the state and provincial budgets, and also
\nfrom foreign aid amounting to Rp 216 billion.<\/p>\n
Maumere<\/p>\n
In Sikka regency in East Nusa Tenggara, a social worker said
\nthree villages needed particular attention: Paga village, about
\n45 kilometers west of the town of Maumere, Nangahale, around 35
\nkm east of Maumere and Wuring in Alok district in Maumere.<\/p>\n
Yohanes Fernandez, a member of Caritas, which focuses on the
\nnutrition of pregnant women and infants, said he feared
\ngovernment efforts to improve nutrition in the area would fail.
\n\"Staff are not given enough knowledge about nutrition,\" Yohanes
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The latest published maternity mortality rate in East Nusa
\nTenggara is 911 per 100,000 births. Undernutrition is considered
\none of the major contributing causes.<\/p>\n
Yohanes said Caritas (Tel: 0382 22413) would work with any
\nparty interested in helping improve locals' knowledge of
\nnutrition. (44\/yac\/anr)<\/p>",
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