"From the plan of 20.6 million beneficiary families, (the assistance is) ready to be distributed by (state-run postal company) PT Pos Indonesia to 18,486,756 beneficiary families. The rest are still in the cleansing process (data correction)," the minister noted at the Merdeka Palace here on Saturday.
According to Rismaharini, the assistance of Rp150 thousand will be offered four times. The distribution will be divided into two phases. Thus, the beneficiary will receive a total of Rp300 thousand in each phase.
The first phase will be conducted this September, while the second phase will be implemented in early December 2022.
The minister also provides an opportunity to people looking to project themselves to become beneficiaries. The Ministry of Social Affairs will work closely with the local governments and assistants to verify the submission.
"We have 70 thousand assistants throughout Indonesia," she stated.
The Ministry of Social Affairs also has a command center at contact number 021-171 that operates round the clock to receive complaints regarding the assistance.
Rismaharini stated that the Ministry of Social Affairs is also working with PT Pos Indonesia, local governments, and indigenous communities to distribute the fuel cash assistance to various areas that are difficult to access, such as mountainous areas.
Pos officers will visit the beneficiaries unable to visit Pos Indonesia's offices as well as sick and older adults.
The fuel cash assistance is one of the government's social assistance packages after diverting fuel subsidies. The government allocated Rp24.17 trillion for the aid.
The central government also provides Rp9.6 trillion for wage subsidy assistance to 16 million workers whose maximum salary is Rp3.5 million per month. Each beneficiary will receive Rp600 thousand.
Furthermore, the central government has urged local governments to allocate two percent of the general transfer fund, including the general allocation fund (DAU) and revenue sharing fund (DBH), worth Rp2.17 trillion, to support the transportation sector and provide additional social protection.
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Translator: Indra Arief, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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