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Government provides El Nino aid as part of equitable Pancasila economy
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El Nino is a phenomenon of higher sea surface temperatures (SST) in the central to eastern Pacific Ocean.
This increased SST enhances cloud growth in the central Pacific Ocean and reduces rainfall in the surrounding regions, including Indonesia. Furthermore, the significant impacts of El Nino on Indonesia may include drought, lack of clean water, crop failures and forest and land fires.
As we approach the end of 2023, the global economy is still overshadowed by various challenges and uncertainties, including the El Nino weather anomaly that must be closely monitored.
"So why do we provide this aid? Because it has been dry, and we anticipate prices will rise, but thankfully the government has been able to keep rice and cooking oil prices relatively stable.
Therefore, we provide support," said Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto during a dialogue with the Yogyakarta community receiving Direct Cash Assistance (BLT) for El Nino at the Yogyakarta Main Post Office on Sunday.
Minister Airlangga directly engaged with the community to ensure the accuracy of distribution and filter public aspirations regarding the usefulness and sustainability of the assistance program. With a total budget of Rp 7.52 trillion, BLT El Nino has been distributed by the government from November to December at a rate of Rp 400,000 every two months or Rp 200,000 per month. The distribution targets 18.8 million beneficiary families (KPM), and for Yogyakarta City, there are 22,810 KPM receiving total aid of Rp 9.12 billion.
As of Dec. 21 BLT El Nino had been distributed totaling Rp 6.72 trillion, or 89.36 percent of the target, with Rp 795 million in aid still in the process of distribution. It is expected that by the end of 2023, all aid will have been accurately distributed.
During the event, Minister Airlangga had a direct dialogue with five BLT El Nino recipients from Mujamuju village, Yogyakarta City. These five recipients, who are informal workers and housewives, said the BLT El Nino program was very helpful and needed by the community, especially for basic necessities. The program has run well, and the beneficiaries hope that the BLT will continue in 2024.
Minister Airlangga stated that, in addition to providing BLT El Nino, the government had also provided other social assistance programs such as the Family Hope Program (PKH) and food aid in the form of 10 kilograms of rice. These efforts represent the government's role in maintaining purchasing power and improving the welfare of vulnerable groups, serving as an implementation of the Pancasila economy.
During the doorstop session, Minister Airlangga explained to the media that the government collaborated with PT Pos Indonesia for the distribution of BLT due to its extensive network in every city/district, aiming to ensure precise targeting. Additionally, PT Pos Indonesia had experience in distributing National Economic Recovery (PEN) aid during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also present at the event were members of the House of Representatives, Deputy for Macroeconomic and Financial Coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Ferry Irawan, spokesperson for the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Haryo Limanseto, representative of the Directorate of Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups at the Social Affairs Ministry Hadi Waluyo, assistant for government and people's welfare of Yogyakarta City Yunianto Dwisutono and head of Region IV Pos Indonesia Helly Siti Halimah.
This article was published in collaboration with Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Republic of Indonesia
