Pandjaitan conveyed the message through his Instagram account, @luhut.pandjaitan, highlighting his recent findings on aid distribution in Suko Village, Banyuwangi District, East Java.
"I found an interesting fact: Some residents received benefits from three different programs, while others got nothing despite needing it most. This shows the importance of digital transformation, which must be implemented urgently," he said on Friday.
He explained that Suko Village, a remote area with limited network coverage where most residents work as coffee farmers, reflects conditions in many Indonesian villages, making it an ideal “living laboratory” for social policy trials.
According to Pandjaitan, DEN has implemented a pilot project on social assistance in Banyuwangi that involved 257,000 participants and was supported by 2,000 on-site assistants.
However, out of 680,000 families included in the program, only 148,000 were registered as social assistance recipients.
"There is much room for improvement to ensure assistance is delivered accurately and fairly to those who truly need it," he said.
He commended the Social Affairs Ministry and Banyuwangi District authorities for their synergy in the pilot project, which helped overcome the “silo mentality” that often hampers government data integration.
"Through this initiative, we show that integrated collaboration can provide real solutions for the people," Pandjaitan remarked.
He also pledged that the DEN will ensure every rupiah allocated for social assistance is delivered to the residents who need it most, so the programs can achieve their goal of improving the welfare of the poorest and boosting Indonesia’s economic performance.
"From Banyuwangi, let us prove that this nation can build inclusive, fair, and modern social protection policies," he said.
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Translator: Imamatul Silfia, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Primayanti
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