Social Affairs Minister Says Welfare Recipient Data Has Improved
Semarang (ANTARA) — Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said data on social assistance recipients is now relatively better and more accurate than it was several years ago.
“Is it accurate now? Not yet; the process is still ongoing and will take time. But compared with two years ago, or one year ago, our data is now more secure,” he said in Semarang on Saturday evening.
He was speaking at a dialogue on strengthening and reaching out to Sekolah Rakyat and social protection programmes at Sekolah Rakyat Terintegrasi 1 in Semarang.
He said various efforts, including the event in Semarang, were aimed at aligning actions and views to improve data for social protection.
The Ministry of Social Affairs has been consolidating data through various channels since 2025, he said, most recently through its strategic social assistance digitalisation programme.
“We hope that through this digitalisation programme we can re-register all social assistance recipients,” said Gus Ipul, as he is commonly known.
He said the ministry was also opening registration to members of the public seeking social protection. Data on electricity customers and records held by the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) would also be linked, allowing government databases to cross-check applications from the public.
“The system will determine whether someone meets the requirements and is eligible to receive social assistance. This is something new and requires support from the government and the public,” he said.
The ministry has opened two registration routes, he said: a government route running from neighbourhood and community unit officials (RT and RW) up to the central government, and a participatory route involving members of the wider community.
Because not everyone can access digital services, social assistance agents, also known as volunteers, will help people, particularly with entering their data.
“Not everyone has a smartphone. Some may have one but not know how to use it; others may know how but lack the confidence to register,” he said.
For the initial phase, the ministry needs social protection agents — volunteers willing to help members of the public, particularly their neighbours, access the digital social assistance service.
The programme has been piloted in Banyuwangi and is now being tested in several regencies and cities, including Semarang, before being expanded further. The perlinsos.kemensos.go.id website is already accessible nationwide, he said.