Number of poor families doubles

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)