Over 517,000 Acehnese below poverty line

Over 517,000 Acehnese below poverty line

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: More than 517,000 Acehnese people are still living under the poverty line due to the prolonged conflict in the resource-rich province, a local official says.

"According to data for 2001, the number of people who are still living under the poverty line has reached 517,550 and this has a lot to do with the ongoing tensions over the last three years," Nasrullah Jakfar, chief of the local office of the National Family Planning Board (BKKBN) said here on Wednesday.

He said that besides promoting the family planning program, his office had also intensified its religious activities to improve Acehnese families' religious devotion.

"We are launching an education program to introduce the Koran to children aged under five in rural areas and to encourage them to perform religious activities with their parents," he said.

He said that despite the province's predominantly Muslim population, illiteracy was still prevalent in rural areas in the province. --Antara