Good News For MSMEs In Prospective New Capital City, Government Distributes IDR 2.59 Billion Cash Social Assistance For Micro Enterprises Affected By COVID-19

JAKARTA - The North Penajam Paser Regency (PPU) Government, East Kalimantan, immediately distributed a cash social assistance budget of IDR 2.59 billion for 2.163 micro-enterprises affected by COVID-19.

"This social assistance comes from the Regional Incentive Fund (DID) post from the Ministry of Finance to encourage economic recovery that has weakened due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Assistant II for Economics and Development of the PPU District Secretariat Ahmad Usman in Penajam, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, October 5.

Each micro business actor affected by COVID-19 immediately received direct cash assistance of IDR 1.2 million, bringing the total budget prepared to be more than IDR 2.59 billion.

Currently, he continued, the DID budget from the Ministry of Finance is already available and included in the PPU Regency Regional Budget (APBD) so that this October the relevant offices in PPU only need to submit a disbursement to the PPU Finance Agency.

From the Financial Agency, continued Usman, if all the files are complete, they will be transferred directly to the accounts of each prospective recipient of the MSME actors, namely through the Bank BRI account.

Prospective beneficiaries are required to make a statement of responsibility, which includes the use of money to support an ongoing business, then states that they have not received similar assistance.

"The assistance of IDR 1.2 million was given to those who had not received social assistance of IDR 2.4 million in 2020. If it turns out that someone already received assistance last year, then it must be returned," said Usman.

He also said that the number of prospective recipients of 2.163 micro-enterprises was agreed upon through the Determination of Social Assistance Recipients for Regional Micro Business Actors (BSPUMD) meeting affected by COVID-19 for the 2021 fiscal year, which was held by the PPU Regency Government, last week.

"The purpose of distributing cash social assistance is to improve the economy for each business actor in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic situation so that they can rise when the economy is sluggish," said Usman again.