Liquid Cash Assistance, Jokowi: Remember, Gentlemen, To Buy Groceries, Not Cigarettes

President Joko Widodo (Photo: Cabinet Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo officially disbursed three cash assistance programs this year. The assistance is the Family Hope Program (PKH), Basic Food Cards, and cash social assistance (bansos).

Jokowi reiterated to the public that the cash assistance that will be obtained is prohibited from buying materials other than basic necessities such as cigarettes.

"For those who buy groceries, buy basic necessities, don't use them to buy cigarettes. Be careful, especially fathers. Buy basic necessities so that they can reduce the burden on families during this pandemic," said Jokowi broadcast on Youtube by the Presidential Secretariat. , Monday, January 4.

Jokowi asked the government and related stakeholders to socialize and supervise the implementation of cash assistance disbursement so that the community can use the aid on target.

The amount of this cash transfer varies. The details of PKH funds for pregnant or postpartum mothers are IDR 250,000 per month, early age children 0-6 years IDR 250,000 per month, people with severe disabilities IDR 200,000 per month, and elderly IDR 200,000 per month, elementary school children's education IDR 75,000 / equivalent per month, IDR 125,000 per month for SMP / equivalent education, and IDR166,000 for SMA / equivalent education per month.

Funding assistance provided is for a maximum of 4 people in one beneficiary family. PKH is distributed once every three months, namely January, April, July and October.

Second, the basic food cards that are delivered are in the form of cash food assistance with the value of Rp 200,000 per month per family for one year.

Third, cash assistance worth IDR 300 thousand per month for four months for each family. Cash social assistance is given to people other than PKH recipients and the basic food cards.

"We hope this assistance can alleviate families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Then we hope it can also be a trigger to drive our national economy, strengthen people's purchasing power, so we hope that national economic growth will increase and be better," said Jokowi. .

Before the cash assistance could be disbursed, Jokowi had warned the public not to buy cigarettes using social assistance money (bansos).

This was conveyed by the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy after holding a limited meeting on social assistance at the State Palace, Tuesday, December 29, 2020.

"Mr President has warned that (social assistance money, red) is not used to buy cigarettes. So once again, this assistance should not be used at all to buy cigarettes according to the direction from the President," said Muhadjir.