Sri Mulyani Admits There Is An Overlapping Target For Social Assistance Distribution

JAKARTA - The data collection on potential recipients of social assistance (Bansos) is considered not fixed as a target. In fact, some people received double assistance from the provincial government and from the central government. As a result, there are still many people who are left untouched. In fact, during the pandemic of the corona virus or COVID-19, social assistance is very much needed.

Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani also admitted that there were overlapping targets in the distribution of social assistance funds in a number of programs implemented by the government to support the poor affected by the pandemic.

However, according to Sri, it is much better than if they did not get any support in a difficult time like today.

"Many are asking whether there will be an overlap? The possibility exists. But it is probably better than not," he said, during a virtual press conference in Jakarta, Friday, May 8.

Furthermore, Sri Mulyani said that currently the government has distributed social assistance to the Jabodetabek and non-Jabodetabek communities amounting to 55 percent of the total Indonesian population.

"It includes more than close to 55 to 59 percent of the Indonesian population getting social assistance. Either in the form of groceries or BLT or on the basic food card," he said.

Then, Sri Mulyani detailed, the Family of Hope Program (PKH) has been distributed to 10 million beneficiary families (KPM) or 16 percent of Indonesians, while the basic food cards have targeted 36 percent or 20 million residents.

Meanwhile, 50 percent of Indonesians have used electricity subsidies. "For the 9 million KPM in DKI Jakarta cash social assistance, it is excluded from the food and PKH cards," he explained.

The Ministry of Social Affairs noted that the distribution of social assistance (Bansos) in DKI Jakarta has not yet fully reached the poor. This is because the recipients of social assistance from the provincial government (Pemprov) are the same as the data that received assistance from the central government.

Social Minister Juliari Batubara admits that data problems are a challenge in the distribution of social assistance, especially social assistance in the form of basic foodstuffs in Jakarta.

"Indeed, in the field, almost in a dozen points, there are a lot or almost all of them who receive the Ministry of Social's basic needs assistance have actually received social assistance from the Jakarta Provincial Government," he said, in a working meeting with Commission VIII with the Minister of Rural Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration. virtual, Wednesday, May 6.

Juliari revealed that in fact there was an agreement with the Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan, that the Ministry of Social Affairs assistance was intended for beneficiaries who did not receive social assistance from the Provincial Government.

Initially, the DKI Provincial Government asked the central government to cover social assistance for poor people who did not receive assistance from them.

"What does it mean? They do not serve or will not provide the same data between DKI social assistance recipients and the Ministry of Social's basic needs assistance," he explained.

However, said Juliari, what happened in the field was just the opposite. The central government found chaotic data on basic food assistance recipients for the poor in Jakarta.

"We also use our pillars to get additional data. In addition to that earlier I said that there are still 320,000 families who have not received assistance," he said.

Juliari revealed that many parties questioned why the basic needs assistance was not replaced with direct cash assistance (BLT). According to him, the Ministry of Social Affairs initially wanted the same thing.

However, he said, the order given directly by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) was that special social assistance for Jabodetabek was given in the form of basic food packages.

"The president himself asked Jabodetabek to provide basic foodstuffs. The reason is that if cash social assistance is given, the money will be taken, brought back to the village. If they are given basic foodstuffs they do not need to go home, but we provide for their basic needs. So that is indeed the president's request," he said.