Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government continues to expedite distribution of the first phase of financial aid for residents to achieve prompt completion of the program, Deputy II of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Abetnego Tarigan stated.

The government expects the distribution of Rp600 thousand (US$42) of financial aid for residents to purchase basic needs to be completed in 14 days, he noted.

"The president's instruction directed the authority to expedite the distribution to ensure residents can promptly receive the benefit," Tarigan remarked in his press statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The deputy stated that the government, through the Social Affairs Ministry, had commenced the first phase of distribution of financial aid from February 20, 2022. The benefit is expected to meet the residents' requirements in January, February, and March, he added.

The benefit was earlier distributed in the form of basic needs with no financial disbursement, yet starting from this year, the government instead decided to disburse the aid in cash form, Tarigan noted.

The benefit is expected to reach 18.8 million recipient families, with each family receiving aid worth Rp200 thousand on a monthly basis, the deputy stated.

The deputy lauded the ministry's decision to collaborate with state-owned postal service company PT Pos Indonesia in expediting the aid distribution process, and to this end, government officials in some regions have also distributed the benefits to residents' homes.

"(The collaboration) is highly effective in helping benefit recipients with restricted mobility, such as the elderly and people with disabilities. The KSP lauded such measures," Tarigan remarked.

The KSP is committed to supervising the aid distribution program by performing on-site verification, Tarigan remarked while adding that the agency has urged residents to be vocal about the issues they encountered while receiving the financial aid from KSP.

"Those measures are necessary to ensure the benefits are promptly delivered to benefit recipients. KSP is also receptive to the residents' complaints through our channels," Tarigan stated.

Currently, the agency has received no complaints regarding the distribution of financial aid from residents, he added.

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Translator: Rangga Pandu AJ, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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