In The Past, Use Pelita Until The 'Village' Of Neighboring Electricity, Now 75,890 Incapable Families In Indonesia Enjoy PLN's New Electricity Installation Assistance

Illustrations of poor people now enjoy PLN electricity (Photo: PT PLN's Public Relations DOC)

JAKARTA - To realize equitable energy, the government together with the DPR and PT PLN (Persero) work together to distribute free electricity connections from the Electricity New Installation Assistance (BPBL) program to 75,890 poor families spread across a number of regions in Indonesia. The presence of electricity was warmly welcomed by the public. Elisabeth Karatem, for example, a resident who received BPBL in the Aru Islands, Maluku, admitted that he was happy to receive this free electricity installation assistance. "“Beta (I) am happy, through the help of the government the lights can turn on," said Elisabeth in a written statement received in Jakarta, Sunday, November 20. This mother of four said that previously she received assistance, her family could only enjoy electricity through distribution from her neighbors. Now, she can have her own without having to share access with neighbors. Feelings of happiness also colored the mood of BPBL recipients in Noelmina Village, East Nusa Tenggara, namely Dominggus Nitbani. The man who made a living by fishermen admitted that free electricity assistance really helped him. "In the past, we only used peppers as a light and in a month it could be 15-20 liters, it was installed from 7 pm to 6 a.m., and 1 liter of 7 thousand so a month it could cost 140 thousand to buy oil," said Domi. Thanks to this free electricity connection, he can save expenses and his children can learn to use bright lights. BPBL itself is a new electrical installation assistance program for underprivileged households including installing electrical power installations, operating-worthy certification costs (SLO), new connection fees to PLN to filling out the initial electricity token. BPBL recipients are registered in the Ministry of Social Welfare Integrated Data (DTKS). Chairman of Commission VII Sugeng Suparwoto also welcomed the BPBL program as a manifestation of social justice for the entire community. He hopes that this program can continue to run so that more and more Indonesians enjoy electricity. “ Listrik has become a part of everyday life, it has become a basic need, so it is the right of every citizen to get electricity, and the state's obligation is to hold this basic need. Thank you, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and PLN for realizing all of this, let's join hands to prosper the community, one of which is through electricity, because the usefulness of electricity is enormous, ” explained Sugeng. In line with that, the Director of Electricity Entrepreneurship at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Jisman Hutajulu said that in 2023 it is planned that 83,000 households throughout Indonesia will enjoy the BPBL program. The commitment based on the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation Number 3 of 2022 concerning Electricity New Installation Assistance is a program implemented for underprivileged households. "Electricity is a very important need, therefore the Government together with Commission VII DPR RI are here to always pay attention to the public to remote areas to get electricity. This is proof that the state is present for all levels of society without exception,” he said. PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo stated that PLN continues to support the government's efforts to increase the electrification ratio (RE) so that all people access electricity so that it can boost the wheels of the economy. This year, the government is targeting to connect free electricity to 80 thousand poor families through the BPBL program. PLN is also said to be moving quickly to achieve this target. "From August 2022 to November 19, 2022, the inauguration of the first implementation of the BPBL program in South Sulawesi, Central Java, East Java, West Java, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Central Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, North Sumatra, Banten, Riau, Bangka Belitung, Maluku, and East Nusa Tenggara with a total of 75,890 electricity connections," he explained.