Number of poor families doubles

JAKARTA (JP): The number of Jakarta families living below the poverty line in October was 57,218, more than double the 23,384 families recorded three months earlier, an official from the city's office of the National Family Planning Board (BKKBN) said on Thursday.

A senior official at the office, Sumiyati, said "the sharp increase is due to the monetary crisis, which seems to have severely hit the poor here."

Each family in the survey represented four or five people. According to the official figure, Jakarta is home to some nine million people.

Sumiyati said the survey was conducted during the city's free food distribution scheme for families residing in "all crowded, remote and slum areas of the city".

She, however gave no details of the condition of Jakarta families living below the poverty line. The Central Bureau of Statistics categorizes them as those with monthly earnings of not more than Rp 227,720 (US$30.36).

According to the BKKBN data, about one third of the number, or 16,937 families, live in West Jakarta, 13,355 others live in East Jakarta, 12,096 in Central Jakarta, 7,603 in North Jakarta, and the remaining 7,227 families in South Jakarta.

According to a councilor, the central government -- in line with the social safety-net program -- is to allocate funds worth "between Rp 30 billion and Rp 50 billion" to the Jakarta families considered living below the poverty line.

"Targeting at improving the welfare of these people, the funds will be given to the city administration in mid-December, the secretary of the City Council's Commission E for Social Affairs, Agus Waluyo, said. (ylt)