Subsidized rice for poor distributed ahead of schedule

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Mohamad Idris, 57, was more than happy to bring home a sack of 20 kilograms of rice for only Rp 20,000 (US$2.25) for the seven people in the family.

"I am jobless. It is my two daughters who work as factory workers who support us. The cheap rice program really helps us because we cannot afford market prices which keep on going up," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Idris and 360 other residents of Serdang subdistrict of Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, enjoyed the first distribution of subsidized rice this year in Jakarta, as part of the government's crash program for the needy in a bid to compensate for the utility price increases.

The cheap rice scheme, which started in 2000, allows underprivileged city residents to buy one kilogram of rice for a mere Rp 1,000 (around 11 US cents), much cheaper than the usual price of between Rp 2,600 and Rp 3,500. Every month, a poor family is entitled to 20 kilograms of the rice.

Besides Serdang, three other subdistricts: Kampung Tengah in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta; Kapuk in West Jakarta; and Pluit in North Jakarta, were also chosen to mark the initial distribution this year.

Other subdistricts, as well as other regions, will have the chance around the third week of this month.

The program, which also includes affordable health services, free education for children, and the development of public facilities and the economy, is targeted toward more than 30 million poor people all over the country.

The Rp 4.43 trillion fund, which is included in the 2003 state budget, is derived from the reduction in the fuel subsidy.

An amount of 2.35 million tons of subsidized rice will be distributed this year to over 9.7 million poor families who obtain a card identifying the holder as a participant in the rice-for-the-poor scheme, commonly known as Kartu Raskin.

In Jakarta alone, according to administration spokesman Muhayat, there are 114,129 poor families. The administration estimated that a total of 25,000 tons of cheap rice would be channeled to the needy this year.

To obtain the card, Jakarta residents have to fill in a form and insert copies of their identity card, family card and a passport-sized photo. Each of the subdistrict's Family Welfare Movement (PKK) units will screen the applicants.

The number of poor people here, according to the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), is about 500,000, but most of them are excluded from the program as they do not hold a Jakarta ID card.

UPC chairwoman Wardah Hafidz expressed regret that many poor people were unable to join the program, while part of the fund had reached the wrong people.

This fact was confirmed by Idris, who said that his neighbor, who was poorer than himself, could not get the card to get the cheap rice as his application that was filed at the same time as his in 2001 was rejected.

Serdang subdistrict's PKK worker Neneng argued that Idris' neighbor could be one of the 99 new applicants whose card had not yet been made.

"Our latest data shows that the number of poor people has increased to 460 poor families or 2,302 people in the subdistrict," she told the Post after the opening ceremony at the Kemayoran district office.

Sucipto, head of neighborhood unit in Gunung Sahari Selatan subdistrict, who happened to be at the district office, claimed he had never seen a Kartu Raskin before.

"How come we're not told about this program? It surely can help many widows in my neighborhood who have to live on others' charity," he said.

The ceremony was presided over by State Logistics' Agency head Widjanarko Puspojo. Usually, the residents purchase the rice from a warehouse located in the neighborhood.