Mayor Of Surabaya Asks KPM To Use BLT Cooking Oil Wisely

Mayor of Surabaya Eri Cahyadi /PHOTO via ANTARA

SURABAYA - Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi asked the beneficiary families (KPM) of cooking oil direct cash assistance (BLT) in the City of Heroes, East Java, to use the assistance they received wisely.

"We hope that the assistance can be used for daily basic needs," said Mayor Eri Cahyadi during the distribution of cooking oil BLT which was attended by 220 KPM in Rungkut District, Surabaya, reported by Antara, Saturday, April 16.

Present at the event, the Director General of Social Protection and Security of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Pepen Nazaruddin, represented the Minister of Social Affairs, Tri Rismaharini, and the Special Staff of the Minister for Relations and Partnerships for Foreign Institutions of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Faozan Amar.

Mayor Eri thanked the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) for the assistance provided to the citizens of the City of Heroes. He confirmed that the social assistance data that came from the Ministry of Social Affairs was the same as the one shared today.

"God willing, the distribution for the elderly (elderly) will be from BNI (Bank Negara Indonesia) who will hand it over on the spot, while the strong can take it themselves," he said.

Eri Cahyadi said that the city government will continue to collect data and those who are able or whose soul is still strong will be given efforts to escape from MBR (low-income people).

According to him, the Ministry of Social Affairs has set a target for social assistance recipients. For those aged 40 years and over, get assistance in the form of PKH and BLT cooking oil, while those aged 40 years and under are given business empowerment.

"So, it's the same as what was done in Surabaya. So, it's impossible for those who are still strong (young) just to ask for (social assistance). Therefore, we carry out coaching from the Surabaya City Government," he said.

Mayor Eri Cahyadi stated that his party would continue to care about overcoming poverty in Surabaya. One of the efforts made by the city government at this time is to move the people's economy through community empowerment.

"So, later the young ones will be empowered, whether they work in municipal government assets in the form of ponds, paving work or MSMEs. This is what we are doing to overcome poverty by empowering the young," he said.

Meanwhile, the Director General of Protection and Social Security at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Pepen Nazaruddin, said that BLT for Cooking Oil was a policy of Indonesian President Joko Widodo to increase the purchasing power of the underprivileged in the midst of rising prices during Ramadan and ahead of Eid al-Fitr.

"We together with the Mayor (Eri Cahyadi) ensured the disbursement of direct cash assistance (BLT) for cooking oil for three months. So a month it was Rp. 100 thousand and at the same time it was Rp. 300 thousand in April 2022," he said.

Data on KPM for social assistance, BPNT/groceries and BLT for cooking oil in the city of Surabaya were 85,328 people. So far, 48,267 or around 56.5 percent of the aid has been distributed.