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Government scraps plan to expand number of Family Hope Program recipients
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A local stands next to railway tracks passing through a dense settlement in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, on July 19. ( ANTARA FOTO/M Agung Rajasa)
T
he government has cut the number of targeted beneficiaries of the Family Hope Program (PKH) next year back to 10 million households, after announcing last week that it would be 15.5 million.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo previously wanted the number of PKH beneficiaries in 2018 to be in line with the number of food subsidy beneficiaries, which was set at 15.5 million. It was his plan to integrate all subsidies to the poor into the Prosperous Family Card (KKS) program.
However, the state budget was not sufficient to afford an additional 5.5 million beneficiaries, said Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday.
"After the calculation of the 2018 state budget, we have decided to reduce the number of PKH beneficiaries back to 10 million households," she said, adding that the budget for the 2017 PKH was Rp 11.34 trillion (US$853 million) for 6 million beneficiaries.
The PKH is under the Social Affairs Ministry, gas and electricity subsidies are under the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry and food subsidies have been handled by the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).
Under the PKH program, each household receives Rp 1.89 million per year. As of April, 3.04 million households already received the social aid. (ags)
