"We received an additional budget from the Ministry of Finance of around Rp400 billion to be used in December (2022). We will hand over the assistance to approximately 946,863 orphans. Each child will receive Rp200 thousand per month," she informed.
In addition to orphans, the government is also preparing assistance for single elderly people aged over 80, she added.
"They have nobody to take care of them. There are around 334,011 people. The cash assistance will be handed over to their head of neighbor to give them food every day, especially to elderly who are helpless with no family," Rismaharini said.
People living with disabilities will be provided the same quantum of assistance as the single elderly, she informed.
"In December 2022, we will also distribute assistance to persons with disabilities amounting to 98,934 people," the minister said.
Each of the single elderly and persons living with disabilities will receive Rp21 thousand per day or Rp651 thousand for a month, Rismaharini informed.
The government will also accelerate population data collection, especially for beneficiaries who have not been listed, the minister said. It will collaborate with the Population and Civil Registration Agency to collect the data.
According to the minister, the population data is owned by regional governments. Therefore, cooperation between the central and regional governments is necessary to collect the data.
"We have to work together because there are many people out there who do not have an identity card. We have to help them to register their population data first; it may take time because some people live outside their origin region, for example, in prison and others," she explained.
The government has prepared direct cash assistance (BLT BBM) for 20.65 million beneficiary families (KPMs). The families will receive Rp300 thousand in assistance twice: in September and December. It has allocated a total budget of Rp12.4 trillion for the assistance.
As of Friday morning, state-owned postal service PT Pos Indonesia has distributed BLT BBM to 12,701,985 KPMs in 482 districts and cities. Next week, it is targeting to disburse the assistance to 90 percent of the 18.585 million targeted KPMs.
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Translator: Desca Lidya N, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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