West Papua Programs BLT And Insurance To Remove Extreme Poverty

Acting Head of West Papua Province Bappeda Melkias Werinussa (ANTARA/Tri Adi Santoso)

MANOKWARI - The West Papua Provincial Government programmed short-term Cash Direct Assistance (BLT) and included the extreme poor in the BPJS Health and Employment program as an effort to eliminate extreme poverty in the area by 2024.

Acting Head of the West Papua Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) Melkias Werinussa said that with this strategy, it is hoped that in 2024 extreme poverty in West Papua will be zero percent.

"With the provision of BLT and including them in the social security program, it is hoped that extreme poverty will no longer exist in West Papua," said Melkias Werinussa in Manokwari as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, May 30.

The latest data on the extreme poverty rate in West Papua Province has decreased from 10.28 percent in 2021 to 9.43 percent in 2022.

He explained, for the category of people with extreme poor status, namely with income below Rp. 17 thousand per month, so stimulant assistance is needed to improve the economy in the form of BLT.

"The BLT given is only in the short term, if it is given continuously, it is feared that it can make the community lazy to work," he explained.

Furthermore, including them on social security, both BPJS Kesehatan and BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, with the intention of making it easier to get health services and death benefits.

"Health BPJS is clearly used when they are sick, while BPJS is employment for insurance when people die," said Werinussa.

He revealed that the strategy had been implemented by Raja Ampat Regency in dealing with extreme poverty in its area, which would later be adopted by the West Papua Provincial government.

"We learn from Raja Ampat, for their extreme poverty the green zone is because there is a strong commitment from regional heads with the program," said Werinussa.