Pyongyang, December 16 (KCNA) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Monday launched an anti-poverty program merged with other social programs to reduce poverty in the country.

He said the new strategy seeks to reduce the number of people in poverty in Venezuela to 2.5 million in 2012 in its first stage.

The Venezuelan government has said that poverty rate in Venezuela declined from 49 percent to 27.4 percent in the first half of 2011.