Government mulls over expanding social aid amid global uncertainties
Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf said discussions on the economic stimulus, including the option of expanding social assistance, are still at an early stage in the form of simulations and inter-ministerial coordination.
“There have been preliminary discussions, but no decision has been made. We are still at the simulation stage to formulate an economic stimulus,” he said after a meeting with the Head of the Statistics Indonesia (BPS) at the ministry’s office here on Monday.
The stimulus consists of various policies, one of which is usually the expansion or an increase in the number of social assistance beneficiaries, he added.
According to him, there has been no policy decision from the president so far, only initial schemes or early-stage discussions.
In the previous year, the government had increased social assistance in mid-year and expanded the number of beneficiaries at the end of the year.
During that period, the number of beneficiaries receiving cash assistance rose from around 18 million beneficiary families to 35 million families, covering decile groups 1-4 in the National Socioeconomic Single Data (DTSEN).
“That is based on lessons learned from last year. Whether this year will follow the same pattern, we are waiting for the President’s policy,” Minister Yusuf said.
The government is currently preparing for the second-quarter disbursement period, which is targeted to begin in the third week of April.
There are two forms of assistance, which are the Non-Cash Food Assistance worth Rp600 thousand per disbursement each quarter, and the Family Hope Program (PKH), with amounts varying depending on the beneficiaries, such as pregnant women, schoolchildren, and other vulnerable groups.
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Translator: Prasetyo, Kenzu