"Wouldn't it be better if social aid only benefited the elderly and people with physical or mental disabilities?" said BP Taskin head Budiman Sudjatmiko during a media briefing in Jakarta on Friday.
He raised the idea in response to reports of misuse of social assistance funds for online gambling by some recipients.
In this context, he emphasized that instead of offering direct aid to physically able low-income citizens, the government should prioritize empowerment programs to help them escape poverty and become self-reliant.
To support this, BP Taskin has formulated a Master Plan for Accelerating Poverty Alleviation, focusing on key sectors such as food, housing, renewable energy, transportation, education, health, the creative economy, and digital technology.
"This is why President Prabowo Subianto created BP Taskin — to ensure the government’s anti-poverty measures go beyond providing safety nets," Sudjatmiko said.
He warned that over-reliance on aid could be counterproductive and foster dependency.
Sudjatmiko stressed that his agency is committed to empowering low-income communities and helping them improve their livelihoods through sustainable means.
Earlier, Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf called for reform of the government’s aid distribution system after the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) found that Rp957 billion (around US$59 million) in 2024 social aid had been misused for online gambling.
The PPATK cross-checked 28.4 million social aid recipient IDs with 9.7 million individuals identified as online gamblers and found 571,410 matches.
"Two percent of beneficiaries in 2024 were online gamblers involved in 7.5 million gambling transactions worth Rp957 billion," Yusuf said on Thursday.
He assured that the government would continue improving the accuracy of aid distribution by ensuring that assistance is only provided to eligible individuals listed in the National Single Social and Economic Data (DTSEN).
"In line with President Prabowo’s directives, the Ministry of Social Affairs will continue to strengthen data validation and conduct field checks, especially since some people have reportedly received aid for 10 to 15 years," Yusuf added.
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Translator: Sean F, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Anton Santoso
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