WEST MANGGARAI (February 18, 2023) - The Ministry of Social Affairs and Commission VIII DPR RI will continue working together in handling extremely poor and vulnerable groups. The legislator ensures that he will continue to support it from the budget side.

Handling extremely poor and vulnerable groups is a priority, especially in West Manggarai Regency. In this region, the tourism sector is developing rapidly. However, on the other hand, social problems are still prominent.

This statement emerged when the Director General of Social Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Social Affairs Pepen Nazaruddin accompanied the Deputy Chair of Commission VIII DPR RI Diah Pitaloka during the Recess Work Visit of Commission VIII DPR RI during the III session of the 2022-2023 Session Year in West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province.

During this visit, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Commission VIII DPR RI handed over assistance worth IDR74,781,152,000 to the community in West Manggarai Regency. Aid was symbolically handed over by Diah Pitaloka as head of the recess working visit team to the Regional Secretary of West Manggarai Regency Fransiskus Sodo in the Goa Batu Cermin Tourism Area, Friday (17/2).

"The Ministry of Social Affairs together with Commission VIII DPR RI on this occasion handed over integrated social assistance, namely Social Rehabilitation Assistance (ATENSI), disaster preparedness, social harmony, as well as assistance from the Family Hope Program (PKH) in West Manggarai Regency. We continue to promote these numerous programs in various regions, remembering that our target is to handle extreme poverty and vulnerable groups," said Pepen.

Pepen also added that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Commission VIII DPR RI always synergize in budgeting and implementing various Ministry of Social programs, one of which is this working visit, which is carried out to monitor various social welfare programs.

The Ministry of Social Affairs assistance handed over on this occasion consisted of Social Rehabilitation Assistance (ATENSI) in the form of nutritional assistance and school supplies for 15 children, accessibility assistance for 30 people with disabilities (adaptive wheelchairs and canes), economic empowerment assistance for 5 people and basic needs assistance for 25 elderly.

This assistance also includes logistical assistance as buffer stock for disaster preparedness in the logistics warehouse of the West Manggarai Regency Social Service. Logistical assistance consists of ready-to-eat food, children's food, mattresses, blankets, baby clothes, family kits, sanitary napkins, kids' ware, roll-up tents, and multi-purpose family tents.

Then, the total assistance also includes social harmony assistance for the One Rasa Social Harmony Forum (FKS) in Lendong Village, South Lembor District, West Manggarai Regency.

PKH assistance for 2022 for 20,887 KPM in West Manggarai Regency, NTT Province was also handed over on this occasion.

On the same occasion, Commission VIII DPR RI said that it gave full support to the efforts of the Ministry of Social Affairs in handling extreme poverty and vulnerable groups.

"This vulnerable group is a priority, considering that the development of the region here is very high in terms of tourism, but the social issues side must still receive attention," said Diah.

To the media crew, Diah said that the Ministry of Social Affairs' assistance was expected to reach the community in West Manggarai Regency, including the surrounding small islands and remote areas.

In line with this hope, one of the beneficiaries of the Ministry of Social Affairs' assistance said that the adaptive cane assistance provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs was very useful for him.

"This suits my needs. Previously, I had received a cane, but it was not yet accessible. This adaptive cane from the Ministry of Social Affairs is exhaustive with sensors, so I can move freely at work," said a person with a visual sensory disability, Salestinus Mehang.

Salestinus added that he is more confident in mobility because the sensor is complete with sensors for surrounding conditions if there are potholes or puddles of water.

This recess work visit was also attended by Deputy Chair of Commission VIII DPR RI Ace Hasan Syadzily and members of Commission VIII DPR RI, Regional Secretary of West Manggarai Regency Fransiskus S. Sodo, Director of Empowerment of Remote Indigenous Communities (KAT) represented by Head of Administrative Division Vivi Marlina, Head "Efata" Center in Kupang Supriyono and representatives of the Directorate General of Social Protection and Security.

Public Relations Bureau
Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs