Gus Ipul: Third Quarter Social Assistance to Begin Distribution on 20 July 2026

Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, known as Gus Ipul, has stated that the Family Hope Programme and Non-Cash Food Assistance for the third quarter of July-September 2026 will begin distribution on 20 July. “The third quarter social assistance is currently being processed. We received the latest data from BPS yesterday, and we are now cleansing it. God willing, it will be completed within the next two to three days, and distribution can begin by the 20th at the latest,” Gus Ipul said in Jakarta on Monday, 13 July 2026. He explained that the updated data includes existing Beneficiary Families who will continue to receive aid, those who will no longer receive it, and new recipients, all depending on the completed data updating process. The data updating process begins at the neighbourhood and community unit level, is forwarded to village or sub-district data operators through a deliberation process, and then sent to the local Social Affairs Office before being finalised by the Regent or Mayor and submitted to the Ministry of Social Affairs. From the ministry, the data is sent to the Central Statistics Agency for verification and validation. Every three months, the verified updated data is returned to the ministry for the distribution of social assistance. Gus Ipul expressed appreciation for the active participation of local governments in this process, which improves data accuracy and ensures aid reaches the rightful recipients. The three most active provinces are West Java, Central Java, and East Java, along with the city of Bekasi. “This shows that the regions are very concerned about the updating process, because we must acknowledge that this data comes from the regions, and the regions know the objective conditions of their citizens best,” he said. Furthermore, he noted that the distribution of social assistance will be followed up with empowerment programmes, in line with the paradigm shift to ‘Temporary Social Assistance, Empowered Forever’. “After it is received by those who are entitled, it will be followed up with empowerment programmes. This is the new approach from President Prabowo, so it is not just about giving social assistance, but we strengthen it with empowerment, so that these families can measurably move up in class,” he stated.