Ministry of Social Affairs deploys social pillars to oversee disaster aid in Sumatra

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Social Affairs is deploying all its social pillars, from Programme Keluarga Harapan (PKH) companions and Disaster Preparedness Cadres (Tagana) to Karang Taruna, to oversee the distribution of aid to disaster victims in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, when met in Jakarta on Thursday, stated that this accompaniment is being carried out comprehensively to ensure that aid is delivered to the right targets, in the correct amounts, and on time, from the receipt process through to utilisation and reporting. Regarding the realisation of adaptive disaster aid funds, Saifullah revealed that there is currently a remaining budget of around Rp200 billion that is in the process of being disbursed. This funding forms part of the total Rp2 trillion allocation for handling disaster impacts. So far, the Ministry of Social Affairs has verified data for 75,000 beneficiary families (KPM) that have been declared valid and ready to receive aid. In addition, there are more than 270,000 verified individual beneficiaries who will receive life guarantee (jadup) assistance. “Around Rp700 billion has already been received by the beneficiaries. The remaining more than Rp200 billion is in process, hopefully it can be received by the affected communities next week,” he said. In the distribution mechanism, the Ministry of Social Affairs is collaborating with PT Pos Indonesia through three schemes: direct collection at post offices, community-based distribution at sub-district or village offices, and door-to-door services specifically for people with disabilities and the elderly. Saifullah emphasised that the involvement of village or sub-district offices is limited to providing venues, while the entire distribution process is still fully handled by PT Pos personnel.