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Govt sets aside trillions of rupiah for social assistance programs
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President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo delivers his state of the nation address before members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Aug. 16. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo administration has set aside more than Rp 67 trillion (US$5.014 billion) from the 2017 draft budget for social assistance through various programs, ahead of the 2019 presidential and legislative elections.
From the amount, Rp 17.30 trillion will go to the cash assistance Family Home Program (PKH), Rp 13.5 trillion is for the government’s non-cash food assistance campaign (BPNT), Rp 25.5 trillion will be allocated to the national health insurance (JKN) program and Rp 10.80 trillion will go to the Indonesia Smart Card (KIP) program, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said on Thursday.
The number of beneficiaries included in these programs was also increased. The PKH was expanded to include 10 million low-income households from 6 million this year, and the BTNP will benefit 10 million people next year from 1.28 million this year.
Meanwhile, the beneficiaries of JKN and KIP will reach 92.4 billion and 19.7 million respectively, she added.
“[All of the] assistance will target 40 percent of the poorest people,” said Sri Mulyandi as reported by tribunnews.com on Friday.
National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro added that the state budget for 2018 paid serious attention to wealth distribution to address social and economic disparity in Indonesia.
In his state of the nation address on Thursday, President Joko “Jokowi” told the lawmakers that the third year of his administration would focus on implementing economic justice policies to improve the welfare of the people.
“We want people in the outer islands, border areas and isolated regions to feel the presence of the state,” the President said. (bbn)
