Dead people 'receive' financial aid<\/p>\n
Wahjoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Malang<\/p>\n
Further reports emerged nationwide on Wednesday of the inaccuracy
\nof data used to determine who is eligible to receive cash
\nassistance from the government to offset higher fuel prices.<\/p>\n
In North Barito regency, Central Kalimantan, two dead people
\nwere issued the fuel compensation cards, while in Malang, East
\nJava, a number of wealthy people were mistakenly included on the
\nlist of the poor eligible for the assistance.<\/p>\n
The head of the North Barito Statistics Office, Teras Rumbang,
\nsaid on Wednesday his office became aware that two dead people
\nhad been issued fuel compensation cards after reports from
\nresidents.<\/p>\n
\"What probably happened is that when the statistic officers
\nwent around the two were still alive,\" said Teras.<\/p>\n
Teras said his office was open to people who wished to report
\nmistakes in the government assistance program.<\/p>\n
Asked about the possibility that wealthy people had been
\nincorrectly included on the list of people eligible for the
\nassistance, Teras said his office would remove anyone from the
\nlist who did not belong. He said the regency administration would
\nalso demand that anyone who mistakenly received assistance return
\nit to the government or face prosecution.<\/p>\n
Eligible families will receive Rp 100,000 per month in cash
\nfrom the government, delivered quarterly. The money is being
\ndistributed nationwide to cushion the impact of the Oct. 1 fuel
\nprice increases.<\/p>\n
At least 20 wealthy family in North Barito regency have
\nreceived the fuel compensation cards, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
Separately, a senior government official in Malang
\nacknowledged that mistakes had been made in gathering data on
\nthose eligible for the program.<\/p>\n
The errors were detected when some poor people complained they
\nhad not received assistance while their wealthier neighbors had,
\nsaid Sutiarsi, the administrative assistant to the Malang
\nmunicipal administration.<\/p>\n
\"The inaccuracies could have occurred because the data was
\nonly gathered over two weeks in August,\" said Sutiarsi.<\/p>\n
She said the Malang Statistics Office had proposed to the
\ncentral government that 27,700 families receive the assistance,
\nbut the central government only approved 24,256 families. The
\nstatistics office then re-verified the data, which resulted in
\nonly 23,346 families being ruled eligible for the program.<\/p>\n
\"Only 576 families have not yet received their money,\" said
\nSutiarsi.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dead-people-receive-financial-aid-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}