BOGOR (September 4, 2023) – Urban poverty remains one of the issues that must be resolved by the state. Bogor City, as a buffer area for the capital city of DKI Jakarta, is not immune to this problem.

To reduce poverty, the Ministry of Social Affairs, along with members of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, distributed social assistance to 88,290 Beneficiary Families (KPM) in Bogor on Friday (01/09).

“The Ministry of Social Affairs is committed to eradicating poverty in all regions of the country. All of our work units collaborate to address this issue. For ATENSI assistance, our center has designated work areas to facilitate technical implementation. Incidentally, Bogor City falls under the jurisdiction of the Inten Soeweno Integrated Center," said Salahuddin Yahya, Secretary of the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation.

Ministry of Social Affairs conducted assessments to ensure the effectiveness of the assistance and its impact on poverty alleviation. As a result, the assistance provided was tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of the KPM.

"The form of assistance is based on the assessment results, whether the business capital, basic needs, tools, three-wheeled motorcycles, or other requirements. Thus, the value of ATENSI assistance can vary depending on the assessment," said Yahya.

On this occasion, social assistance was distributed with a total value of IDR36,138,283,766. The distribution event coincided with the Specific Working Visit of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives to monitor the implementation of social assistance programs in Bogor City, West Java Province.

The assistance was categorized into three types, namely ATENSI assistance worth IDR176,601,952 for 123 KPM, Family Hope Program (PKH) assistance for the July-August period worth IDR8,114,081,814 for 18,548 KPM, and basic food assistance for the July-August period worth IDR27,847,600,000 for 69,619 KPM.

Yahya invited all parties to continue jointly evaluating and monitoring the Ministry of Social Affairs' social assistance programs so that the social assistance is distributed on target, on time, in the right amount, and with the right administration. "That way, the assistance can benefit the community and have an effective impact on poverty alleviation," said Yahya to the attendees at the Bogor Mayor's Office that day.

Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives conducted a Specific Working Visit (Kunker) to the Bogor City Government (Pemkot) to monitor the assistance distribution. The Kunker was received directly by the Mayor of Bogor, Bima Arya, at Paseban Sri Bima, Bogor City Hall, on Friday (1/9/2023). In addition to the Kunker, Commission VIII also handed over assistance directly at the City Hall Plaza.

Deputy Chairperson of Commission VIII, Diah Pitaloka, said that she and 14 members of Commission VIII visited Bogor to observe the implementation of the Ministry of Social Affairs programs in the city, as Bogor is one of the cities with high population density and various social issues.

"We distribute various capital assistance for the disabled, necessities for the poor, and children with Cerebral Palsy who are given wheelchairs specially assembled for children with Cerebral Palsy," she said.

The DPR agreed with the City Government to strengthen the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS) adjustment, starting from reviewing the DTKS input process, the screening process, and the selection of DTKS to become poverty data whose validity is used as a reference or benchmark for social fund assistance in the region.

"We will also discuss the synchronization of social data with PBI health data at a special meeting with the Ministry of Social Affairs," she added.

She noted that the current distribution of social assistance in Bogor City has gone well. However, few recipients no longer receive assistance in the following months despite having cards.

Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency, Bogor City experienced an increase in the number of residents suffering from extreme poverty from 2021 to 2022, rising from 13,590 to 14,450 people. The increase in extreme poverty rates prompted Ministry of Social Affairs to distribute social assistance to the city.

Ministry of Social Affairs has taken various steps to address the poverty issue. The Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation, the Directorate General of Social Protection and Security, and the Directorate General of Social Empowerment under the Ministry are all working together in the effort to eradicate poverty.

Present at the event were Bogor Mayor Bima Arya, Acting Head of the Bogor City Social Office Tini Sri Agustini, Head of the Inten Soeweno Integrated Center M.O. Royani, and Head of the Galih Pakuan Center Rinto Indratmoko.