Jakarta, Oct. 8 -- Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar has called for an accelerated shift in the government's poverty alleviation strategy by strengthening community empowerment programs as a key instrument to help poor families increase their incomes and escape poverty.

"Social assistance and empowerment must go hand in hand. We must protect those who need it, and for those who already have the capacity to grow, they must immediately be encouraged to become empowered," Muhaimin said while chairing a ministerial-level meeting in Jakarta on Thursday.

According to the minister, the current challenge in poverty alleviation is not only to ensure that assistance reaches people who need it, but also to ensure th...