Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said here on Wednesday that the increasing number of families withdrawing from the social aid program throughout 2025 shows that people are becoming more aware of their capacity and more empathetic, ensuring that the aid is directed to those who truly need it.
He said that the withdrawals can be tracked in the Cek Bansos application. Moreover, the withdrawal is prompted by the regional government's initiative to place a sticker saying 'poor family, social aid beneficiary' at beneficiaries' homes.
Although the move sparked controversy, it encouraged people to be more honest and strengthened monitoring by society, he added. As a result, more people have either withdrawn from the program or reported cases of ineligible individuals receiving aid.
"There are indeed positive impacts from the stickers. There's some in Bengkulu, and then some in Central Java. It is a regional initiative to ensure that social aid is received by those meeting the criteria," he said.
His administration also received more than 600 thousand new suggestions and tens of thousands of reports concerning beneficiaries who are deemed not eligible for the aid.
These reports are being verified in coordination with Statistics Indonesia (BPS), he assured.
The minister ensured that his administration and the regional assistance teams work diligently to ensure that the aid is not received by people who have moved, passed away, or work overseas.
For the fourth quarter of 2025, the Social Affairs Ministry is tasked with allocating regular social aid, staple foods, and cash assistance for some 35 million families.
Of the 35 million families, there are 16.3 million existing beneficiaries and a newly added 18.7 million families listed in the National Socio-Economic Integrated Data (DTSEN).
The ministry and its stakeholders have allocated the aid to some 15.7 million families in October, 11.6 million families in November, and will allocate to more than 8 million families in December 2025.
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Translator: M. Riezko Bima Elko Prasetyo, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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