Ministry of Social Affairs Records Many PKH KPM Withdraws During the COVID-19 Pandemic

CIANJUR (August 27, 2020) - The Ministry of Social Affairs noted that many Beneficiary Families (KPM) of the Family Hope Program (PKH) withdrew from PKH participation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Director General of Social Protection and Security, Pepen Nazaruddin, said that many KPMs have succeeded in building businesses and being independent. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they continued to run the business they were engaged in, so they decided to graduate because they already had a steady income.

“For example, in Tasikmalaya, during this pandemic, there were PKH recipients in two villages who withdrew as beneficiaries because they were independent and had a steady income every month. PKH in Cianjur Regency, Thursday (27/8).

He hopes that the trail of the retreating KPM can be followed by other KPMs who are temporarily still dependent on social assistance. In a straightforward manner, Pepen stated that various ways and alternatives can be taken to build a business that can lift the family's economy through the active and innovative role of companions.

PKH facilitators, said Pepen, must have a work plan and the capacity to coordinate with various parties, from the local government to the village level. In addition, he continued, the facilitator must also have a wide network so that the KPM they assist can be quickly graduated after the field of business they undertake begins to show a level of success.

"For this year, there are more than 2 million people who have graduated throughout Indonesia. We hope that this number will continue to increase every year, so that the central government's target is to eradicate it," he said with enthusiasm.

In the same place, the Regent of Cianjur, Herman Suherman, said that over the past one year, the number of KPM PKH who resigned or graduated in the area he leads has reached more than a thousand people. He said that he would continue to support those who have graduated through the provision of capital assistance, including providing bonuses for companions.

"We welcome the central program to alleviate poverty, including in Cianjur, through PKH. get a bonus," Herman explained.

Herman hopes that KPM PKH, which has not been able to improve the family economy independently, can immediately imitate those who have resigned because of their persistence and hope for a better life.

"Don't be shy to keep trying until success and does not depend on help of central government. This year, thousands of Cianjur residents have had their economy improved thanks to PKH. We thank the central government," he concluded.