Jarkata (VNA) - Indonesia's Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) aims to empower around 14,000 beneficiary families (KPM) through capacity-building activities, helping citizens develop sustainable businesses and achieve economic self-reliance.
MSMEs Minister Maman Abdurrahman said, during the launch of LAKSMI, an inclusive microenterprise capacity-building programme, in Surabaya, East Java, last week, his ministry offers training and business mentoring for beneficiaries of government socioeconomic programmes.
He said beneficiaries would be eligible to access financing support from various institutions, including state-owned microfinance company PNM.
The initiative is designed to ensure that government social assistance extends beyond financial aid, Abdurrahman said, stressing the importance of concrete empowerment measures that enable beneficiaries to improve their economic prospects.
He further said the initiative is not focused solely on business turnover, emphasising a broader goal of increasing family incomes, creating jobs, reducing dependence on social assistance, and helping beneficiaries move beyond vulnerable conditions toward self-reliance and prosperity.
The empowerment measure is intended to create opportunities for people in the four lowest welfare groups in the National Single Socioeconomic Data (DTSEN) to improve their socioeconomic standing through productive business activities.
Abdurrahman expressed confidence that empowerment and entrepreneurship programmes can play a key role in improving living standards across communities.
Director General of Social Empowerment at Ministry of Social Affairs, Mira Riyati Kurniasih, described her ministry's collaboration with the MSME Ministry through LAKSMI as a significant step toward building an integrated community empowerment framework.
She said her office is responsible for implementing socioeconomic assistance programmes, which can be complemented by business development initiatives offered through the MSME Ministry.
Kurniasih said the programme was designed to foster a chain of empowerment starting at the family level. She added beneficiary families are expected to strengthen their entrepreneurial capabilities and expand their businesses as a pathway to economic self-reliance./.
