Juntos Urbano will be launched to contain poverty

The current economic context, marked by determining factors such as the persistence of inflation and the economic slowdown, could lead to a considerable increase in the advance of poverty currency in Peru.

He Minister of Economy and FinanceAlex Contreras, recently pointed out in an interview with La República that, to mitigate this progress, the Executive is in the process of strengthening the budget for the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (Midis) with the aim of expanding the social programs currently in march and launch a new one, called together urban.

The program, scheduled to start in 2024, will focus on the vulnerable population in the urban areas of Lima and other cities in the country.

These are the areas in which poverty has experienced a more marked increase in recent years.

For his part, the owner of the Midis, Julio Demartinipointed out yesterday that the initiative will be aimed at pregnant and lactating mothers from urban and peri-urban areas, with a transfer of additional S/50 to early childhood.

Poverty rebound

However, when analyzed by areas of residence, the increase was more pronounced in urban areas, where year-on-year growth reached 1.8% and reached 24.1%. Compared to the level of 2019, the increase is 9.5%, marking a notable contrast with the figure prior to the health crisis, which stood at only 14.6%.

Between 2019 and 2022, poverty in Lima and Callao grew 13.1%, followed by the urban highlands (7.4%), the urban coast (7.1%), and the urban jungle (6.4%) .

keep focus

The former Minister of Development and Social Inclusion, Caroline Trivelliqualifies the initiative as an effective way to provide essential support to families in vulnerable situations, guaranteeing that children receive adequate care, food and care at the most crucial moments.

However, he warns that, under the approach of an Urban Together and the possibility of incorporating new beneficiaries, the logic of the program should not be lost, whose original objective is to protect pregnant mothers and children.

In this regard, Trivelli suggests that, before undertaking any expansion, careful consideration should be given to how the effectiveness and consistency of the program can be maintained.

The rural sector should not be neglected

The president of the Consultation table for the fight against poverty, Federico Arnillasexplains that the advance of poverty in the urban sector is due to the fact that the COVID-19 crisis had a more pronounced effect in this area, due to the loss of jobs and income opportunities.

In contrast, rural populations managed to sustain their levels of consumption through agricultural activities and self-consumption.

However, he stresses that the rural sector should not be left aside, since next year it will be strongly affected by the weather crisis across the country.

Fact

Detail. The Juntos program grants a monetary incentive of S/100 per month, delivered bimonthly, to pregnant women, children and adolescents from households in vulnerable conditions.