The Indonesian government has prepared concrete steps to help people at the grass-root level in facing with an expected economic crisis in 2009, a senior official said Wednesday.

"The objective of the government's various programs is to provide a social safety net (JPS) at the grass-root level," Antara news agency quoted Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati as saying on the sidelines of a working meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR).

The steps the government would take next year comprised a people's empowerment program (PNPM), a program related to infrastructure projects, a program to promote family-based welfare (PKH), direct cash assistance for poor people (BLT), and a program to expand smallholders' business credits (KUR).

Under the PNPM program, about 5,000 sub districts in the country would each receive 3 billion rupiah (about 250,000 U.S. dollars) in financial assistance.

"The sole purpose of all of these programs is to create a social safety net for people at the grass-root level," Sri Mulyani said.

She said the negative impact of the global economic slowdown on the national economy would be manifested in declines in export and investment activities.

Indonesia should remain alert to the impact of the global economic and financial crisis while the government would continue to take concrete measures to minimize their impact on the country' s economy, she said.

"In a situation like this, quick, measured and responsive measures are needed to overcome the problems and to enable the government to protect the people who are susceptible to the crisis, " she said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2008)