Social Minister Reveals Rp 700 Billion in Social Aid for Sumatra Disaster Victims Has Been Disbursed

Social Minister (Mensos) Saifullah Yusuf, or Gus Ipul, has revealed updates on the distribution of social assistance (bansos) for residents affected by disasters in Sumatra. As of today, social assistance exceeding Rp 700 billion has been disbursed to the beneficiaries.

“As of today, we have distributed more than Rp 700 billion for all types of aid. And currently, around Rp 200 billion more is being processed, yes, Rp 218 billion,” said Gus Ipul at the Ministry of Social Affairs office in Jakarta on Wednesday (25/3/2026).

Gus Ipul explained that the assistance is intended for approximately 67,000 families and 270,000 individuals for livelihood guarantees (jadup). He stated that the Ministry of Social Affairs has actually prepared a much larger budget allocation for handling disasters in three provinces in Sumatra.

“Our allocation from the Ministry of Social Affairs for Sumatra, those three provinces, is more than Rp 2 trillion. So the funds are already prepared; once the data is verified and entered, we will submit it to the Ministry of Finance for further processing,” he clarified.

Gus Ipul detailed the types of aid provided to residents. For death benefits to heirs of deceased victims, the government provides Rp 15 million per person. Meanwhile, victims with serious injuries receive Rp 5 million.

“Then there is housing filling aid of Rp 3 million per family, and Rp 5 million for economic stimulus support. Finally, jadup or the purchase of side dishes is Rp 450,000 per person multiplied by 3 months,” he outlined.

Gus Ipul assured that the distribution of this social assistance is carried out carefully and transparently. Recipient data must undergo multi-layered verification, from the district/city level to the relevant ministries.

“This data is then used as a guideline for distributing social assistance. The Ministry of Social Affairs collaborates with PT Pos to deliver disaster aid to verified families,” he emphasised.

The Ministry of Social Affairs also deploys social companions such as PKH companions, TKSK, and Tagana to monitor the use of the aid in the field. Gus Ipul hopes that this assistance will truly be used for family economic recovery and basic household needs.

“In that way, we can all be accountable. The government that distributes is accountable, and of course, the beneficiaries can also use it properly and account for it well and correctly,” he added.