Pekanbaru Mayor Receives Interior Ministry Award for Reducing Stunting and Poverty Rates

Pekanbaru Mayor Agung Nugroho has once again achieved national recognition by receiving an award from the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) for his success in tackling poverty and reducing stunting rates in Pekanbaru. The award was personally presented by Interior Minister Tito Karnavian at the appreciation event for high-performing local governments in 2026, the Forum Akselerator Negeri, held in Palembang on Saturday, 25 April 2026. This appreciation serves as recognition from the central government of Pekanbaru City Government’s performance in improving community welfare through strategic programmes with tangible impacts, particularly in reducing poverty and stunting rates. In his statement, Agung Nugroho conveyed that this achievement is the result of collaboration between the local government and the community. He emphasised that addressing stunting is one of the main priorities being implemented sustainably. “One of the efforts we have undertaken is through the zero stunting programme. This programme is our primary focus to ensure there are no more stunting cases in Pekanbaru,” he said. He explained that the Pekanbaru City Government has previously mobilised all posyandu cadres in every sub-district to actively monitor child growth and development, provide nutrition education to the community, and assist at-risk families. These steps are considered effective in raising community awareness about the importance of early stunting prevention. Direct interventions at the community level are also seen as capable of accelerating the handling of detected cases. In addition, poverty alleviation efforts have been carried out through various community empowerment programmes and improved access to basic services. The Pekanbaru City Government ensures that every programme and assistance is delivered accurately to the targets to improve living standards. Not only receiving the award, Agung Nugroho also obtained a fiscal incentive from Kemendagri amounting to Rp2 billion, which will be used to strengthen the sustainability of the zero stunting programme. “We will utilise these funds as best as possible to support the continuity of the zero stunting programme, so that the results achieved can continue to be improved,” he said. He added that the award serves as motivation for the entire Pekanbaru City Government apparatus to continue enhancing performance in providing the best services to the community. According to him, this achievement is an initial step towards more equitable welfare.