Government Maps Out 88 Districts and Cities as Targets for Eradicating Extreme Poverty

Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar stated that the government has mapped out 88 districts and cities to focus on accelerating the eradication of extreme poverty. “Through various government programmes that can still be channelled and refocused in those 88 districts and cities,” said Coordinating Minister Muhaimin Iskandar during a ministerial-level meeting in Jakarta on Monday (11/5). His side hopes that this effort can significantly reduce extreme poverty to 0 per cent by 2026, as mandated by Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2025 on Optimising the Implementation of Poverty Alleviation and Eradication of Extreme Poverty. In the future, productive-age residents will receive short-term job training so they can quickly be absorbed into the job market or start their own businesses. “Social assistance is a temporary buffer, where the key phrase we are continuously implementing is empowerment. Among the empowerment programmes we are continuously promoting is to train extremely poor communities in a short time and then channel them to obtain jobs so that various social protection assistance can be stopped,” said Muhaimin Iskandar. The success of this regional strategy, continued Coordinating Minister Muhaimin Iskandar, greatly depends on the accurate use of the National Single Socio-Economic Data (DTSEN). The Coordinating Minister acknowledged the dynamics in the field, where removing ineligible aid recipients had previously caused unrest in society. “We hope that Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2025 truly becomes the foundation for all Poverty Reduction and People’s Welfare Improvement Programmes (Pro-Kesra) as part of national development priorities,” said Coordinating Minister Muhaimin Iskandar.