Minister Of Home Affairs Tito Comment To Bekasi Regency Government, Realization Of Unexpected Costs Of IDR 36.1 Billion Quickly, But COVID Social Assistance Was IDR 0

JAKARTA - Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, asked the Bekasi Regency Government to immediately realize the COVID-19 pandemic control budget in the 2021 budget year.

This was conveyed by Minister of Home Affairs Tito during a working visit to Bekasi Regency, West Java, Friday, July 23. "We want in the midst of this PPKM (Restrictions on Community Activities) situation, all regional governments use their budgets to control the COVID-19 pandemic", said the Minister of Home Affairs as quoted from Antara.

Each local government is required to provide funding support from the general allocation fund (DAU) and revenue-sharing funds (DBH) of at least 8 percent. The funding support includes the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination, incentives for regional health workers in the context of implementing the COVID-19 vaccination.

Then, to support sub-districts in the implementation of handling the COVID-19 pandemic through the provision of budgets for command post activities (sub-district level posts), incentives for regional health workers for handling COVID-19, as well as other health spending and priority activities set by the central government.

Meanwhile, Bekasi is one of the districts with relatively low budget realization. It was noted that the realization of Bekasi Regency's revenue was only 40.59 percent and the realization of expenditure was 30.62 percent.

Meanwhile, based on data processed on July 17, 2021, from the Ministry of Finance and local government reports, the total realization of the refocusing budget of 8 percent of DBH/DAU for FY 2021 in Bekasi Regency was recorded at 62.9 percent.

The details are zero percent handling of COVID-19, 1.16 percent vaccination support, zero percent support for urban villages in the context of handling the COVID-19 pandemic, zero percent of Inakesda in the context of handling COVID-19, and spending on other health activities and priority activities 64.06 percent.

Meanwhile, based on data processed by the Directorate General of Regional Finance of the Ministry of Home Affairs from local government reports as of July 15, 2021, data on budget allocations and realization of unexpected costs (BTT) and social assistance in the 2021 FY APBD, Bekasi Regency has a social assistance budget of IDR 49 billion.

However, the social assistance budget has not been realized or the realization is zero percent. While the budget for BTT of IDR 50 billion has been realized IDR 36.1 billion or 72.22 percent.

"Today, I deliberately went to Bekasi, because I also saw that there was a budget for social assistance (Bansos) which I saw was still zero, but using unexpected spending (BTT) 72 percent, fine, earlier we were trying to clear the aid budget. which is not realized", said the Minister of Home Affairs.

In fact, according to the Minister of Home Affairs, Tito, in the midst of the situation where the level 4 restrictions on community activities (PPKM) require restrictions on community activities, this budget line must be maximized to help affected communities, one of which is through the distribution of social assistance.

“The local government has a budgetary eye and knows exactly the situation of the people around it, who is affected. We want the social assistance budget and unexpected expenditures to be lowered in the midst of this limitation situation so that the affected people are helped", he said.

The Minister of Home Affairs also explained, in addition to checking the realization and social assistance in Bekasi Regency, his party also wanted to provide support and encouragement to the Bekasi Regent and his staff, and emphasized that Bekasi Regency is an important area in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There are many industrial centers in Bekasi Regency so that they are part of the national supply chain, then Bekasi is also a supporting area for the capital, a megapolitan agglomeration, the success of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bekasi Regency will affect the situation in controlling the capital", said Minister Tito.