Spokesperson For Ministry Of Communication And Information: The Government Will Not Allow Indonesian People To Not Eat

ILLUSTRATION/Restaurants in Bandung closed due to emergency PPKM (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the Ministry of Communication and Information, Dedy Permadi, said that the Indonesian government ensures that no people have problems meeting basic needs or are left starving.

"Coordinating Minister Luhut gave directions to the TNI/Polri to look for marginal locations in each region and ensure the availability of food, especially rice for people who really need it," Dedy said at a press conference related to the progress of implementing the emergency PPKM, quoted by Antara, Sunday, July 12.

The government wants to distribute "micro-targeted" targeted in detail, especially in the distribution of vaccines, drugs, and social assistance (bansos). Especially for people who are in suburban areas, the distribution of such assistance must be carried out quickly.

"No Indonesian people will be left to the point of not being able to eat," said Dedy.

Dedy said that the Minister of Social Affairs (Mensos) Tri Rismaharini will distribute the rice assistance through Bulog. The latest policy of the Ministry of Social Affairs is to distribute 10 kg of rice aid per beneficiary. The distribution of aid is carried out through the Bulog network spread throughout the country.

Dedy ensured that Social Minister Risma directly led the process of updating the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS). Data updating must be done because it is a continuous and dynamic process taking into account the existence of residents who have changed addresses, died, or perhaps their welfare level has changed.

In the process of updating the data, the Minister of Social Affairs involved the Indonesian National Police (Polri), the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the Attorney General's Office, Bank Indonesia, the Financial Services Authority (OJK), the Association of State-Owned Banks (Himbara).

"The Minister of Social Affairs ensures that the data updating process runs in a transparent and participatory manner and is carried out with the support of digital technology, so that apart from being more accurate, it is also expected to be faster," said Dedy.

The Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemsos) has prepared three types of social assistance, namely the Family Hope Program (PKH), Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT), Basic Food Cards, and Cash Social Assistance (BST).

"In line with President Joko Widodo's direction, the PKH Program which reaches 10 million Beneficiary Families (KPM), the disbursement is being pushed forward in the third quarter, namely this month, July 2021," he said.

Then, the basic food card from the beginning reached 15.93 million beneficiaries and increased its reach to 18.8 million beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, cash assistance reaching 10 million KPM was distributed for two months, namely May and June, which was paid simultaneously for two months in July 2021.

Cash Aid recipients are people affected by the pandemic who have been included in the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS) who do not receive PKH and do not receive basic food cards.

BST is special social assistance channeled through the PT Pos Indonesia office network.

Dedy said the government allocated a budget of Rp13.96 trillion for 10 million PKH beneficiaries, Rp45.12 trillion for 18.8 million basic food card recipients, and Rp6.1 trillion for 10 million cash social assistance recipients.

The Ministry of Social Affairs has also activated public kitchens to provide ready-to-eat food to be distributed in order to meet the food needs for health workers and PPKM insulation guards around DKI and buffer areas.

For the Jakarta area, the Ministry of Social's public kitchen is centered in the Kalibata National Heroes Cemetery (TMPNU) convention building, Jakarta. At the beginning of the Emergency PPKM, the Public Kitchen of TMPNU Kalibata produced an average of 10 thousand boxes of ready-to-eat food per day. Meanwhile, at this time food production has reached 15 thousand boxes of food per day.

Apart from Jakarta, the Ministry of Social Affairs has also established public kitchens in Surabaya City, Bandung City, Surakarta City, Bogor Regency, Sleman Regency, and Denpasar City.

"No citizen will be left in hunger. Both the central government, regional government, TNI, Polri, volunteers and, we will all ensure that aid will reach our brothers and sisters who really need it," said Dedy.