2 million Iranians below absolute poverty line in oil-rich Iran

Iranian.ws:

Sep 6, 2005

Some 2 million Iranians live below the absolute poverty line, said the caretaker of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security.

Davoud Madadi noted that the poverty-stricken population is unable to have adequate food, adding that these people remain inactive due to their extreme poverty.

"One of the future programs of the new government is to provide (social security) coverage to these people, protect them and help them move from extreme to relative poverty," he said, stressing that the government must try not to have those living below the relative poverty line plunge into absolute poverty in this process.

The caretaker pointed out that the country's social security system has failed to protect vulnerable sections of the society properly, adding that the retired do not feel secure due to poor social protection policies."Our youth and employees work hard in the hope of saving money for their retirement days," he said. Madadi said if the social security system were to protect the people effectively, social maladies will decline. "Social security plays a crucial role in providing the society with mental security," he said.