Jakarta, April 20 -- Indonesia's home minister on Monday urged regional leaders to step up preparedness for global economic shocks, warning that rising living costs could hit low-income households hardest if inflation is not contained.

"More than 60 percent of our people are concerned about the cost of living, especially food prices," Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian said in a statement.

He made the remarks while delivering a keynote address at a meeting of the Association of Indonesian City Governments (APEKSI) in Banda Aceh.

Karnavian said inflation has moved beyond a macroeconomic concern and is now directly affecting daily life, particularly through higher food, energy and logistics costs.

He warned that unchecked price increa...