Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Social Affairs with the cooperation of the National Logistic Agency (Bulog) were distributing a total of 200 million kilograms of rice to 10 million beneficiary families (KPM) under the Family Hope Program (PKH), and another 10 million beneficiaries under the Cash Social Assistance (BST) program.
Each beneficiary received 10 kg of rice to help them cope with the impact of emergency restriction of movement being imposed to curb the COVID-19 spread, Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini said in a statement here on Sunday.
The ministry also distributed five kilograms of rice to each individual informal sector worker unable to work due to the impact of the emergency restriction. they included street vendors, small shop owners, motorcycle taxi drivers, and freelancers in Java and Bali.
“The data on the recipients of the five kilograms of rice aid are obtained from the local governments. Recipients are those who do not receive or are not recipients of the three types of regular social assistance, namely PKH, Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) / Basic Food Cards and BST,” she said.
The rice assistance has been distributed in districts and cities on the islands of Java and Bali since early July 2021. The ministry provided 3,000 packages of five kilograms each for 122 districts and cities, and 6,000 packages of five kilograms each for six provincial capitals on the two islands affected by the restriction.
The Ministry of Social Affairs also disbursed BST assistance for 10 million beneficiary households during May-June, while 18.8 million families under the BPNT/Basic Food Card programs received additional aid for July and August.
The ministry has allocated budges for PKH amounted to Rp28.3 trillion and for BPNT/Basic Food Card at Rp42.3 trillion being channeled through state-owned banks.
For BST, a budget of Rp. 15.1 trillion was distributed by PT Pos Indonesia.
“With this social assistance, it is hoped that it will increase people’s purchasing power,” Rismaharini said.
Source: Antara News