M. Taufiqurrahman, writing in the Jakarta Post, reports that data collected by the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare, reveals that the many poverty reduction programs the Indonesian government implemented in 2005, took only a million people out of absolute poverty.Although 19 ministries and government agencies implemented 55 poverty reduction programs worth a total of $2.34 billion, the programs only succeeded in reducing the number of people classed as extremely poor, from 36.1 million in 2004 to 35.1 million in 2005.
An official from the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare said many of the programs were unable to reach their targets.
Full article: Poverty programs have 'little impact'
