Karnavian said here on Thursday that social aid digitalization is the government's strategic agenda aimed at supporting vulnerable, underprivileged people, as their welfare is a fundamental right.
"We know that social issues, social aid, is the state's responsibility, first and foremost. Our constitution has also regulated (about it), to protect underprivileged people, abandoned individuals, and others," the minister said.
According to Law number 23 of 2014 about Regional Government, social affairs are one among six responsibilities of regional leaders, he pointed out.
Both central and regional governments have consistently implemented various social assistance programs, he said. However, their distribution still meets some challenges, such as the aid being sent to the wrong people, as well as changes in the data of beneficiaries.
For example, there are instances of beneficiaries changing home addresses or seeing improvements in their economic status. In some cases, there are beneficiaries who have passed away, yet are still listed as social aid receivers.
Hence, President Prabowo Subianto tasked Head of National Economic Board Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan to pursue the digitalization effort.
One of the milestones is the successful pilot project in Banyuwangi, he said, which involved many institutions such as the ministry's Population and Civil Registration Directorate General.
The directorate general has successfully recorded data for around 99 percent of Indonesia’s population, including fingerprints, iris scans, and facial recognition data. Such information ensures that aid is distributed accurately, he assured.
Karnavian stated that the data from the civil registry serves as the foundation for the National Socio-Economic Integrated Data (DTSEN), which is managed by the National Development Planning Agency and Statistics Indonesia.
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Translator: Fianda Sjofjan Rassat, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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