Next Year, The DKI Provincial Government Reduces The Value Of The Jakarta Elderly Card Assistance To Rp300 Thousand Per Month

PT Pos Indonesia officers photographed the faces of Cash Social Assistance recipients (BST) for administrative completeness in the BST VIII distribution process in Medan November 2020. (ANTARA-Irsan M)

JAKARTA - Head of the DKI Jakarta Social Service (Dinsos) Premi Lasari said that his party would reduce the value of assistance in the Jakarta Elderly Card (KLJ) to IDR 300 thousand starting in 2023.

So far, the elderly who are included in the target KLJ recipients receive cash assistance of Rp600 thousand per month. Next year, KLJ recipients will only get Rp300 thousand per month.

Premi claims that the nominal decline has gone through a thorough study and has considered the principle of feasibility. Considering that so far no cash assistance has been distributed by the government, both the DKI Provincial Government and the central government, with a value of more than Rp. 300 thousand.

This was conveyed by Premi in a meeting with the DKI Jakarta DPRD which was held at the Grand Cempaka Resort, Bogor, West Java, yesterday.

Based on our study, the results we conducted were also that none was above Rp. 300 thousand. For example, BPNT (non-cash food assistance) is only Rp. 200 thousand, attention to orphans by the Ministry of Social Affairs is Rp. 200 thousand, BST (cash social assistance) COVID-19 is Rp. 300 thousand," said Premi, quoted on Wednesday, August 31.

However, Premi said that his party would increase the number of KLJ recipients by double in 2023.

Because, previously, the DKI Jakarta DPRD viewed that until now the distribution of KLJ had not been evenly distributed because the quota prepared by the DKI Social Service was still too small.

Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the number of elderly people in Jakarta is 1.05 million people. Meanwhile, based on the evaluation of the accountability for the implementation of the 2021 APBD (P2APBD), the KLJ quota prepared is only for 107,573 people. That number has not changed in the implementation of the 2022 APBD activity.

On that occasion, Premi also explained that there were several factors that caused the inaccuracy of time for disbursement of funds, one of which was because population data and bank data did not match.

"We admit that we have not been able to carry out the accuracy of providing assistance. For KLJ, the stages in May, June, July and August alone, we have not been able to realize fully, because there are obstacles in the field. We have to equate the Gubernatorial Regulation data with banking data," explained Premi.