21.6 Million People Will Receive Rice To Egg Social Assistance, Confirmed Liquid Before Eid

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto said the government would again provide social assistance (bansos) to the community, ahead of Eid al-Fitr.

According to him, there are more than 20 million people who will receive this assistance.

"So, one of the things discussed yesterday by the president, we will provide assistance to around 21.6 million people," he told reporters at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, Thursday, March 9.

The social assistance that will be given is in the form of rice, eggs, and chickens.

Airlangga said that later the rice assistance would be given as much as 10 kg and channeled through Perum Bulog.

"Well, this is of course being prepared by the Ministry of Finance, the National Food Agency (Bapanas), and besides that it is also prepared in the form of chickens and eggs. (Later distribution) of rice through Perum Bulog, if others through ID Food," he said.

Even so, Airlangga has not been able to confirm the deadline for giving the social assistance. "The regulations are being prepared," he concluded.

Previously, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto said that the government was finalizing a scheme for providing social assistance (bansos) in the form of a number of foodstuffs.

According to Airlangga, this social assistance is expected to have a positive impact on the community and the government's important efforts in controlling inflation, especially in the food sector.

Later, the recipients of the social assistance will be the people who are registered in the Family Hope Program (PKH) which was previously the main target to distribute aid.

The government in the 2023 fiscal year (TA) has prepared a social protection budget of IDR 476 trillion which is distributed to various sectors.

The jumbo figure is expected to maintain people's purchasing power to encourage sustainable economic growth this year. Meanwhile, the 2023 resilience budget was recorded at IDR 104.2 trillion.

Caption: Coordinating Minister (Menko) for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto. Photo: Theresia Agatha/VOI