In addition to rice, the government will also disburse the social assistance through cash transfer.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Some 10 million beneficiaries of the Family Hope Program (PKH) will receive the government's social aid of 15 kilograms of rice monthly for the next three-month period to mitigate hardships faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In addition to rice, the government will disburse social assistance through cash transfer," Social Affairs Minister Juliari P. Batubara noted in a statement here on Wednesday.

The cash transfer of Rp500 thousand is envisaged to boost the people's purchasing power and economic wheels, especially in the third quarter of 2020. It will be disbursed once for nine million beneficiaries not yet covered by the PKH program.

Cash transfer, particularly for beneficiaries of the Family Welfare Card (KKS), will be done through state-owned banks under Himbara, the state-owned bank association.

Moreover, the funding will be distributed through the Post Office or directly to the beneficiaries. On the other hand, the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) will handle the disbursement of rice.

"The government has prepared Rp5.41 trillion of funding for the distribution of rice. The budget for cash transfer has reached Rp4.5 trillion for nine million beneficiaries," the minister stated.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country in March, the Social Affairs Ministry has disbursed monthly social assistance under the PKH program -- from the earlier three-monthly distribution -- and increased its coverage, from 9.2 million to 10 million beneficiaries.

The ministry has also distributed essential items to meet the needs of 1.9 million residents of Greater Jakarta and cash transfer worth Rp600 thousand for nine million families outside the Greater Jakarta area impacted by the pandemic.
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Translator: Desi Purnamawati, Sri Haryati
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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