Banyuwangi selected as national pilot for poverty alleviation program

The Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs has selected Banyuwangi Regency in East Java as the national pilot location for the Socio-Economic Empowerment and Alleviation (PPSE) program. This selection follows the region's successful implementation of the social protection digitalization pilot project, which has since been expanded to 43 regencies and cities across Indonesia.

The PPSE program aims to develop an empowerment model for social assistance beneficiaries (KPM). The goal is to transition families from a state of dependency on social aid to economic independence by increasing their economic capacity, facilitating asset ownership, and providing access to business opportunities. This process is intended to allow beneficiaries to graduate from social assistance programs.

Andy Kurniawan, an expert advisor to the Minister of Social Affairs, stated that the program focuses on specific locations to test poverty alleviation models effectively. The program targets beneficiaries of various social assistance schemes, including PKH and food aid, with priority given to those in the lowest socio-economic deciles who have been recipients for at least one year.