Indonesia’s Social Affairs Ministry Proposes 2021 Budget of Rp 91.9 Trillion

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s Ministry of Social Affairs proposed a 2021 budget of Rp 91.9 trillion on June 24.

Social Affairs Minister Juliari Batubara announced the proposal during a meeting with the People’s Representative Council (DPR) Commission VIII.

The ministry’s 2021 budget is significantly higher than the budget ceiling set by the Ministry of Finance at Rp 62.02 trillion. Juliari Batubara deemed the cap insufficient.

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Juliari explained during the meeting that the social affairs ministry’s programs are all categorized under the national priority programs.

Furthermore, the finance ministry’s budget cap was based on spending calculation before the coronavirus pandemic.

The majority of the 2021 budget will be allocated to social assistance programs.

Around Rp 28.7 trillion will go to the Family Hope Program (PKH) and the Non-Cash Food Assistance Program (BPNT) will get Rp 28 trillion.

Social protection programs will require Rp 60.5 trillion according to Juliari.

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President Jokowi has instructed the number of recipients of the PKH program to be increased while the BPNT program is to continue in 2021.

The instructions would require an extra Rp 4 trillion to the Ministry of Social Affairs' budget.

The Rp 4 trillion excludes the additional BPNT program beneficiaries that President Jokowi had requested.

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Currently, the BPNT program caters to 15 million families as the program beneficiaries.