The findings are administrative in nature, which outlines improvement for the social aid disbursement mechanism
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Social Affairs Ministry responded to the National Audit Board's (BPK's) findings outlined in the 2022 Second Semester Overview by voicing commitment to streamlining the social aid disbursement mechanism to be more effective and efficient.

"Hence, this is part of the state finances' monitoring and management. Since the start of my leadership, the Social Affairs Ministry has been very cooperative in terms of the monitoring mechanism by the relevant institution, including the BPK. I ensure that the ministry has handed follow-up reports as per the board's recommendation," Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini noted in a written statement received here on Saturday.

The minister remarked that officials of the ministry have adopted an institutional approach prior to publication of the report.

"The findings are administrative in nature, which outlines improvement for the social aid disbursement mechanism. Following the findings, the Social Affairs Ministry handed a follow-up document in the first semester of 2023 in order to get a status from BPK," she elaborated.

The board's findings comprise three aspects: staple goods' social aid disbursement; Family Hope Program social aid disbursement; and cash assistance for cooking oil and fuel oil disbursement.

The ministry took measures to improve the beneficiaries' data, in which of the 10,249 families eligible for non-cash food assistance, some hold higher positions in some companies, Rismaharini remarked.

Such condition was discovered by the Directorate General of General Laws at the Law and Human Rights Ministry in January earlier this year, she pointed out.

Moreover, on the Social Affairs Ministry's database, those beneficiaries were listed as poor people, who engage in various jobs, such as cleaning service, workers, and others, she noted.

Hence, the ministry froze the data in question and removed it from the social welfare integrated data, the minister remarked.

"We close it first, should they complain later, stating that they are poor. Hence, please send complaints to us. We will evaluate it," Minister Rismaharini stated.

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Translator: Lintang Budiyanti P, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Sri Haryati
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