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Electricity rates, discounts to remain unchanged in first quarter of 2021
Lowering electricity bills is one of many government relief efforts meant to prevent more Indonesians from falling into poverty as the country grapples with a pandemic and an economic recession.
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Meter check: Two employees of state-owned electricity company PLN check an electricity meter at a customer’s house in Panembahan subdistrict, Kraton district, Yogyakarta, on Dec. 4. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)
T
he government has ordered state-owned electricity giant PLN to extend some ongoing electricity relief schemes into the January-March period next year to help the country’s lower-income households and businesses weather the current economic pressures.
Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry spokesman Agung Pribadi said the schemes included electricity bill discounts for Indonesia’s poorest homes and lower electricity rates for certain homes, businesses and public street lights.
“[This decision] protects the peoples’ purchasing power as well as supports stability and economic recovery,” he said in a statement on Friday.
Lowering electricity bills is one of many government relief efforts meant to prevent more Indonesians from falling into poverty as the country grapples with a pandemic and an economic recession.
Read also: Jokowi announces free electricity, discounts for households hardest hit by COVID-19 impacts
Around 1.63 million Indonesians fell into poverty in March, raising the poverty rate to 9.78 percent or 26.4 million people from 9.22 percent in September last year, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data show, with government and international institutions expecting more people to become poor as the coronavirus outbreak rages on.
Electricity bills are a big expense for low-income Indonesian homes, falling within the top five for non-food commodity spending.
