Minister of Home Affairs Implements Measures to Ensure Social Assistance Reaches Correct Targets
The Minister of Home Affairs, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, is pushing for the expansion of Social Protection (Perlinsos) agents to ensure that the distribution of social assistance (bansos) is more accurately targeted. Perlinsos agents are volunteers or assistants who help people in their local communities access Digital Social Protection services, particularly for families, neighbours, or citizens facing difficulties.
According to the Minister, the presence of Perlinsos agents is a vital component in accelerating the validation process, especially for those with limited access to or difficulty using digital devices. This was stated by the Minister during the Ministerial Level Meeting on the Expansion of Perlinsando and the 2027 Implementation Plan at the Aneka Bhakti Building, Ministry of Social Affairs, Jakarta, on Wednesday (30/9).
“They need to be assisted by others whom we call agents. These agents will then be trained, and they will download [data] using smartphones. The speed is incredibly high because in just five to seven seconds, once the face is displayed, the data from the Civil Registry (Dukcapil) immediately appears,” he said.
Under this mechanism, Civil Registry and Population Administration (Dukcapil) data serves as the primary database because it contains biometric data, such as fingerprints, facial recognition, and retina scans. This data allows the validation process to be completed within seconds while simultaneously helping to update social assistance recipient data on a regular basis.
“Dukcapil data serves as the base database for verification and validation, and it also integrates data from several other ministries and agencies,” he noted.
This Dukcapil data will subsequently be integrated with data from other ministries and agencies to obtain a more comprehensive overview of the recipients’ conditions. The Minister cited examples of integration with the National Land Agency (BPN) to verify land ownership and with the police to verify vehicle ownership.
He stated that such integration is necessary to profile the target population and ensure their eligibility as social assistance recipients.
The expansion of Perlinsos agents will also be adapted to the specific characteristics of each region. In Bali, for instance, Perlinsos agents are drawn from Posyandu (integrated healthcare centre) cadres. The use of ‘banjar’ (community halls) as social spaces is also considered to facilitate the data collection and validation process.
“We are moving forward with everything; the agents will be trained first. After that, a system will be created for each region according to its specific character. How to gather the community, and after that, they simply need to show their faces on a mobile phone. It will then be known whether they are eligible or not to receive social assistance,” he added.
In addition to validating the identity and eligibility of recipients, the system can also provide information regarding the type of assistance received, whether it be cash or non-cash assistance. To support the implementation of this system in the regions, the Ministry of Home Affairs is also preparing support through the Directorate General of Dukcapil and relevant teams.
“We at the Ministry of Home Affairs, along with the Directorate General of Dukcapil and the relevant teams, are fully prepared to assist with training and system preparation,” he concluded.