Budget Committee: Food Social Assistance Plus 2 Liters of Cooking Oil Proposed by DPR Leadership

JAKARTA - Said Abdullah, Chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Agency, revealed that the proposal to increase the oil allowance to 2 liters in the food social assistance package was a proposal from the House leadership. Said conveyed this during a joint working meeting with the government last week.

"The five of us (Banggar leaders) just consulted with the House leadership. This is a direct request from the House leadership that the IDR 16.23 trillion be specifically for 10 kg of rice. 10 kg of rice is not enough. Please add 2 liters of cooking oil per month," Said said.

It is known that during the plenary session to ratify the 2026 Draft State Budget Law held at the House on Tuesday, September 23, Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa agreed to the proposal to increase the social assistance package as part of the government's economic stimulus. When presenting the government's final views on the 2026 Draft State Budget, Purbaya stated that the Ministry of Finance agreed to the House's proposal.

This proposal had previously been pushed through the House Banggar during a joint working meeting with the government on Thursday, September 18. The government will implement the Food Assistance program from October to November 2025.

The House of Representatives (DPR) considers this additional funding crucial for strengthening the public's purchasing power, particularly for the poor and vulnerable. In the Budget Committee (Banggar) meeting, the DPR assessed that the IDR 16.23 trillion stimulus package could still be optimized to maximize its benefits.

There was indeed a discussion about providing up to 5 liters of cooking oil. However, this proposal was not pursued due to concerns that it would deviate from the original objective of the food assistance program.

Meanwhile, in the Budget Committee's report at yesterday's DPR Plenary Session, Said Abdullah stated that the 2026 Draft State Budget (RAPBN), agreed upon with the government, uses public welfare as the primary benchmark for development success.

According to Said, the APBN is not merely a fiscal instrument, but rather a state instrument for improving people's living standards.

"We position the 2026 APBN as a state instrument to improve public welfare. Therefore, the DPR Budget Committee and the government have agreed to set welfare indicator targets," Said stated.

"This is a performance measure for the success or failure of future human development implementation," he added.

Said explained that these welfare indicators encompass three important balances.

First, development programs must be able to reduce poverty, unemployment, and social inequality. Second, improve the quality of human resources so that society becomes healthier and more educated. Third, preserve nature as a fundamental factor for long-term development.

"The 2026 Draft State Budget is only one tool to combat poverty. Therefore, education policies must foster freedom," Said said.