President Monitors Social Assistance Distribution at Pasar Petisah Medan

MEDAN (8 July 2022) - President Joko Widodo and Mrs Iriana Joko Widodo visited various locations in Medan City, North Sumatra. On the first agenda, the President, who is familiarly called Jokowi, visited the Pasar Petisah to distribute social assistance.

On this occasion, the President wanted to ensure that all assistance had been distributed and was on target.

"I hope that the assistance from the government through the Ministry of Social Affairs can be right on target to all recipients and be of benefit to all," he said before the people present.

The social assistance distributed at Pasar Petisah was Family Hope Program (PKH), Non-Cash Food Assistance Program, Direct Cash Assistance (BLT) for Cooking Oil, Social Rehabilitation Assistance (ATENSI), and Working Capital Assistance (BMK).

In 2022 the Ministry of Social Affairs disbursed PKH assistance worth IDR 731.5 billion which was carried out in 2 stages in North Sumatra. The first stage was distributed to 434,780 beneficiaries, and in the second stage, it was distributed to 423,322 beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, BLT cooking oil was symbolically distributed to 95 representatives of beneficiaries where each beneficiary received assistance worth IDR 300,000. Meanwhile, ATENSI was distributed to 10 beneficiaries in the form of goods with a value of IDR 6 million per beneficiary. The goods distributed were in the form of nutrition, groceries, practical tools for disabilities and also working capital assistance.

In addition, the President also handed over Working Capital Assistance (BMK) to 100 beneficiaries. The Director General of Social Empowerment, Edi Suharto, who was present representing the Minister of Social Affairs, Tri Rismaharini, accompanied the President on the visit, saying that this assistance was assistance to increase business capital.

"This BMK aims to increase business capital. We allocate funds of IDR 1.2 million per beneficiary," he explained.

After visiting the Pasar Petisah, Jokowi headed to the Palm Oil Research Center (PPKS) to review the red cooking oil research process in Kampung Baru, Medan City. Then on the last agenda, the President was present to give remarks at the Peak Ceremony of Commemorating the 29th National Family Day 2022 at Merdeka Square in Medan.

Also present at the event were the Minister of State Secretary, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, Governor and Deputy Governor of North Sumatra, Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Medan, Chair of the National Family Planning Coordination Board (BKKBN), Head of the Palm Oil Research Center (PPKS), Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) of North Sumatra, and Director General of Social Empowerment.

Public Relations Bureau

Ministry of Social Affairs