Don't Worry! 78 Thousands Of Residents Who Don't Get Cash Assistance But Registered In DTKS Will Be Assisted By The Riau Islands Provincial Government

Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad. (ANTARA)

BATAM - The Riau Islands Provincial Government has prepared direct cash assistance (BLT) for around 78 thousand underprivileged residents registered in the Social Welfare Integrated Data but have not received cash assistance from the central government. "There are 78,000 people registered in all Riau Islands, later the value we will provide is IDR 300,000 per family," said Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad in Batam City, Antara, Wednesday, September 14. The provincial government has prepared an allocation of funds from the Revised Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD) to provide BLT for 78,000 underprivileged residents who do not receive direct cash assistance from the transfer of fuel subsidies or BLT fuel from the central government. Currently, the provincial government is still waiting for the Riau Islands Provincial DPRD to approve the allocation of funds for BLT in the Revised APBD. "Already almost ratified," he said. The governor said that the provincial government was still waiting for a letter from the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) regarding the plan to distribute BLT from the local government. According to him, BLT from the provincial government will later be distributed by district/city governments along with the distribution of social assistance from district/city governments. "Later it will be distributed by regencies/cities and the money will be combined with regencies/cities," he said. He said that recipients of direct cash assistance from the local government included fishermen, motorcycle taxi drivers, and public transport drivers. According to him, direct cash assistance from local governments is planned to be distributed through environmental administrators of neighborhood units (RT) and community units (RW) in each kelurahan. "Entrance to RT RW is better, all verification so that the target is not wrong," he said. Ansar said that BLT from the regional government was only given once for each family in accordance with regional financial capacity. He added that the Riau Islands Provincial Government together with the Batam City Government are trying to allocate funds to provide cash assistance for 40 thousand families in the city, with more population than other regencies/cities in the Riau Islands. "If the need is Rp. 14 billion, but there is only Rp. 5 billion, the province will donate Rp. 4 billion, then Batam will increase," said Ansar.