Gov’t Provides Cash Aid for Rural Areas Affected COVID-19
Infographic on Direct Cash Assistance (BLT) of the Village Fund Program. (Source by: Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration).
In a bid to maintain the people’s purchasing power in rural areas, the Government has provided direct cash aid to villages affected by COVID-19.
The Government said that the direct cash aid should be poor families who have not been included in the Government’s assistance programs, including the Family Hope Program, the Staple Food Card, and the Pre-Employment Card.
The list of direct cash aid prospective beneficiaries will be collected based on Integrated Data of Social Welfare (DTKS) from Ministry of Social Affairs.
In the meantime, the provisions on the data collection mechanism, determination of beneficiaries data, as well as the program implementation will be stipulated in accordance with the provisions of Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration.
For the record, the Government provides Rp 600,000 cash transfers per month for each beneficiary family an this will be applied from April to June 2020.
As many as 35 percent of Village Funds are allocated to direct cash aid with the approval of regency and municipal administrations.
The distribution of Village Funds is also facilitated through document simplification so that the distribution can be carried out immediately.
In this priority program, the Village Head will be responsible for the use, distribution, and accountability of the aid.
The village administration will be subject to sanctions if they fail to distribute the funds appropriately. The sanctions can be in the form of a 50 percent cut for their Village Funds or the discontinuation of Village Funds distribution Phase III.
The assistance and supervision of the Village Funds utilization can be carried out by the Central Government and regional governments. (Public Relations of Finance Ministry / EN)
Translated by: Syarifah Aisyah
Reviewed by: M. Ersan Pamungkas
