SURABAYA (11 November 2019) - The transformation policy from Social Assistance for Rice Prosperous (Rastra) to Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) has a positive impact on Joint Business Groups (KUBE). KUBE is a group of poor families formed, growing, and developing on the basis of its initiative to carry out Productive Economic Enterprises (UEP) to increase family income and social welfare.

The Directorate of Poverty Handling Region III held a Joint Business Group Facilitation Technical Coordination Meeting (KUBE) in Accessing People's Business Credit (KUR) 2019 which was held at a hotel in Surabaya (11/11). This activity began with the symbolic handover of people's business loans to KUBE beneficiaries by the Director General of Poverty Handling (Dirjen PFM), Andi ZA Dulung.

Furthermore, in his direction, the Director General of PFM conveyed the importance of empowerment for Beneficiary Families (KPM). According to him, social assistance cannot be given continuously because social assistance is designed only to reduce the expense burden of KPM. For this reason, it must be considered how KPM can become independent and graduate so that it does not receive social assistance anymore. One of the things that is done is to do empowerment. Empowerment form can be in the form of material or knowledge.

"There are meetings with assistants in order to increase KPM's knowledge of socio-economy, education and health so that KPM will have more open and smart thoughts to start independently. There is also a companion so that KPM can discuss what business to start, "explained the Director General of PFM.

Furthermore, the Director General of PFM also emphasized that the Provincial Social Service should properly select KUBE recipient candidates. According to the Director General of PFM, the selected KUBE recipient candidates must be already and have the determination to be independent, especially in developing their business.

After the KPM is developed with the assistance of KUBE, which is given as much as IDR 2,000,000 per family if there is a lack of capital, you can access additional loan capital through KUR which is a government program. Apart from KUR, there is also ultra micro financing (UMi) which is a program of the ministry of finance. "After being willing to get additional capital, it means that the money borrowed must be returned. If the business has developed, it means that the marketing is already running, raw materials and organization are already there, then KPM will continue to be fostered so that it becomes independent and graduated quickly, "explained the Director General of PFM.

The Director General of PFM also said that the Minister of Social Affairs often emphasized that the KUBE program was one of the core business of poverty alleviation through empowerment. According to the Director General of PFM, apart from the Ministry of Social Affairs, currently empowerment programs are also handled by the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Trade.