Jakarta, June 23 -- The government has begun shifting its approach to poverty eradication, from distributing aid to promoting and executing programs designed to boost residents' productivity, Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar stated.

"In the past, we tended to focus poverty alleviation efforts on the distribution of social assistance. However, our goal now is to ensure that the assistance provided can empower beneficiaries," he noted in a statement cited here on Monday.

Speaking during a public discussion on poverty reduction in Bandung District, West Java, on Saturday (June 21), Iskandar emphasized that the government seeks to guide residents-especially those of productive age-to avoid dependence o...