At The End of Year, Social Affairs Minister Ensures on Acceleration of Food Social Assistance Distribution

DENPASAR (November 15, 2019) – Social Affairs Minister Juliari P. Batubara ensured the acceleration of social assistance distribution in 2019 went well. The Minister reminded that the success of social assistance distribution involved all stakeholders, including the local government.

“If the assistances had been realized, it hopes that the Family Beneficiaries receive the profit. The local government’s role is very important so that the distribution goes well,” said the Minister on the opening of Evaluation of Social Assistance Implementation on Directorate of Poverty Reduction Sector II on 2019 in Denpasar, Friday (15/11/2019).

The Director General of Poverty Reduction Andi ZA Dulung Director General of Social Protection and Security Harry Hikmat, Head of Social Training and Counseling Agency Syahabuddin, Director General of Social Rehabilitation Edi Suharto, Director of Poverty Reduction Area II I Wayan Wirawan, structural and functional officials in the Ministry of Social Affairs accompanied the Minister.

In his statement, the Social Affairs Minister pointed out on the importance of local government’s role in supporting the success of social assistance distribution. “Local government is tasked to do coordination with social service, Himbara, Bulog, and private company through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program towards all kinds of social assistance,” said the Minister.

Related to the coordination and synergy, said the Minister, along with Indonesia Onward Cabinet Action, which was local government’s synergy in Republic Indonesia’s Structure (Action Program number 9).

Moreover, said the Minister, the local government’s important role was also in updating (verification and validation) the social welfare data on each area so that it could be more accurate with the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS) which been managed by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

“The accurate data will ensure the accuracy and suitability in social assistance distribution toward the beneficiaries,” said the Minister. The local government’s role on data update was regulated in Chapter 8 and 9 of the Law Number 13 of 2011 on Poverty Reduction. The verification and validation result proposed to be included in the next period of Integrated Social Welfare Data due to the Social Affairs Minister’s Law Number 28 of 2017 and Number 5 of 2016.

The third important role of local government, said the Minister, was to push the assistance beneficiaries especially the Collective Business Group was thoroughly toward the independency on entrepreneurship. One of the ways was by providing the accompaniment on the business.

“This become important because of the problem which being faced by the Beneficiary Group in developing their business is not only lack of fund. However, it caused by the lack of skill and the management shortcoming also the market’s limitation,” said the Minister.

In this opportunity, the Minister symbolically hand overed the Collective Business Group Assistance to the City of South Jakarta, Pandeglang Regency, Central Java Province, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Province of Bali, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Province of West, South, Central, East and North Kalimantan. The total amount of the assistance was IDR118.45 billion.

Therefore, the Director General of Poverty Reduction Andi ZA Dulung stated that the evaluation was purposed to collect the information on problem of social assistance distribution and seek for common solutions to the related problem.

This activity was followed by 400 persons consisted of participant, committee, several ministries and institutions, and also the local government’s representative.

Acting Head of Public Relation Bureau

The Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs

Sonny W Manalu