Government is proposing new initiatives to battle poverty in the Bahamas after it was revealed more than nine per cent of the population are living below the national poverty line.
Following a survey conducted by a task force comprisded of representatives from the Ministires of Education, Health and Social Services as well as the Department of Statistics, it was found that government must now upgrade its social programmes in order to reduce poverty among the Bahamas.
Households that participated in the survey were divided into four regions, with the first region including New Providence and Grand Bahama, the second region representing Abaco, Andros and Eleuthera, the third consisting of Exuma and Long Island and all the remaining Family Islands included in the fourth region.
It was shown that the povery rates by region were: 8.3 per cent for region one; 13.2 per cent for region two; 16.6 per cent for region three; and 21 per cent for region four.
Source: Tiffany Grant, The Tribune
