Eri Cahyadi Targets Hundreds Of Thousands Of Poor Surabaya Residents To Be Free From Poverty

Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi (ANTARA)

Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi has targeted 219,427 people or 75,069 families (Family Cards), to be free from poverty this year. Of that number, 23,530 people are included in the category of extreme poverty. "We are targeting that within the next one year we can escape the poverty line. I am committed to continuing to eradicate poverty, that's why we move together with the RW. Because I want to build this Surabaya in a harmonious manner," said Eri, in Surabaya, Tuesday, January 17. Eri admitted that he would continue to try to intervene in the category of poor extremes, poor and vulnerable people. The current interventions are in the form of free schools, uniform assistance, BPJS Health to provide jobs. "That's why we touch those who are vulnerable to poverty or pre-poor so as not to become poor. But, if the family is poor, we provide additional assistance such as PKH assistance (Family Hope Program) and various things," he said. Apart from a number of aid interventions, the Surabaya City Government is also trying to increase the income of the poor and vulnerable to the poor to improve their economy. One of them is by allocating a budget of IDR 3 trillion in 2023, for work programs for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). "We will lift the economy so that it does not become poor in the next year. So that the people of Surabaya do not always depend on aid. But how can they try and escape poverty," he said. To date, as many as 59,473 people or 79.22 percent of the 75,069 families or 219,427 people, their houses have been attached with poor stickers. This data on the poor is the result of data collection by the Social Service together with the village, sub-district and local RT/RW. The stickers were put down by all elements of society, starting from RT-RW, LPMK, KSH, Babinsa and Bhabinkamtibmas, kelurahan and sub-districts. The goal is to get assistance from the Surabaya City Government right on target. "This data collection process is very long, both data matching and re-verification in the field with RT/RW, KSH, kelurahan and sub-districts. So, this has been a joint decision and this has been determined and proposed by local residents within one RT," he said.