Poverty jumped from 40.1% to 52.9% in the first half of 2024, but Sandra Pettovello’s Ministry of Human Capital claims that the peak would have been in the first quarter, reaching 54.8%.
He Ministry of Human Capital went out to relativize the data of 52.9% poverty released by the INDEC. In a statement published this Thursday, he stated that “visualize a slowdown” of this index. He beak would have arrived in first trimester of the year with a 54.8%according to data from the portfolio headed by Sandra Pettovello.
The data comes from Information, Evaluation and Monitoring System of Social Programs (SIEMPRO) of the National Council for the Coordination of Social Policiesdependent on Human Capital. Poverty would have been reduced by 3.8% if the poverty index for the first quarter is compared with those for the second, published today by INDEC.
Although he admits that the poverty rate is high, Human Capital highlights this slight reduction in poverty and attributes it to the “effectiveness of the economic program that has drastically reduced inflation.” As President Javier Milei has been stating, he maintained that there is a “recovery” of salaries.
Likewise, Sandra Pettovello’s portfolio weighs the reinforcement made by the Government in programs aimed at children and adolescents. In effect, they have strengthened the Universal Child Allowance (AUH), the 1000 Day Plan and the Food Cardcreated by the governments of Cristina Kirchner and Alberto Fernández.
According to Human Capitalthis has allowed “increase the coverage of the Basic Food Basket, going from 49% in December 2023 to 97.7% currentlyguaranteeing direct assistance without intermediaries for those who need it most.” Added to this is the expansion of the coverage of the Alimentar Card to include adolescents up to 17 years old as of October 2024.
Luis Caputo celebrated the poverty figure: “It could have reached 80% or 90%”
In line with Human Capital, the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, He also relativized the poverty figure and assured that “it could have reached 80% or 90%.” Despite the high figure, he promised “a much better future for all Argentines.”
On his X account (former Twitter), Caputo shared a graph by economist Fernando Marull about the evolution of poverty in recent years in Argentina. “This graph by @FernandoMarull eloquently shows the difference when the adjustment is made by the market versus a serious economic program”considered.
“From a much less critical situation, post-2001 crisis, the poverty rate almost doubled to reach 58%,” he highlighted. On the other hand, according to Caputo, today the index is lower thanks to the Government’s economic program that would have made it possible to avoid an even worse catastrophe.
Source: Ambito
