Government Will Continue For Free Rice Cookers, Ministry Of Energy And Mineral Resources Prepares A Budget Of IDR 85 Billion

Director General of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Jisman P Hutajulu. (Photo: Maria Trisnawati/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) ensures that the program to distribute electrical cooking utensils (AML) in the form of rice cookers will be continued this year.

"Yes, we will," said the Director General of Electricity, Jisman P. Hutajulu, to the media crew after a Hearing Meeting with Commission VII DPR RI, Monday, June 3.

Jisman said, to continue this program, his party will budget for funds of Rp. 85 billion and will distribute 135,000 units of rice cooker.

"If I'm not mistaken, it's around Rp. 85 billion. 135,000 (AML units) this year. The budget is being budgeted for this year," said Jisman briefly.

Just so you know, previously this program was stopped at 342,000 units. His party will not continue this free rice cooker distribution program, even though initially it was targeted to be distributed as many as 500,000 units in 2023.

"Not all of them have spoken at 342,000," said Jisman to the media crew quoted on Thursday, February 22.

Jisman said the reason the program was stopped was because it used the budget from the 2023 State Budget.

A total of 342,000 rice cookers have been distributed, while the remaining unused budget will be returned to the state.

The most distributed AML distributions were in Java and Bali as many as 192,890 units, Sumatra as many as 61,040 units, Sulawesi 36,648 units, Kalimantan 35,307 units, Nusa Tenggara 7459, Maluku 5640 and Papua 3637 units.

"Maybe the question is why Java - Bali is more because this concerns the readiness of electricity because this is a big demand," said Jisman at a press conference in Jakarta, Thursday, January 18.