KPS Use Proves Successful in Increasing Raskin Beneficiary Quotas

06 June 2014

"Use the Social Assistance Card (KPS), to access the Raskin programme," urged G. Fajar Suryono, Head of Compensation Food and Deputy of Coordination for Social Protection and Public Housing at the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare at a media briefing in Bandung on 5 June 2014. The event was supported by the National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction (TNP2K) to publicise Raskin in 2014.

Sarwat Fardaniyah, Head of the Sub-directorate of Identification and Analysis, Directorate of Rural Poverty at the Ministry of Social Affairs provided details of the Raskin rice quotas allocated to each targeted household (RTS). "Each household is entitled to receive 15 kilograms (kg) of Raskin rice per month, which is distributed at certain times and from distribution points for Rp1,600 per kg," Fardaniyah said.

The event is one in a series of media briefings that began in Jakarta on June 3, and then continued to Medan on June 4. These activities are supported by TNP2K to increase the number of people using their KPS to access the Raskin programme. Currently, KP usage for the programme is very low. According to Sri Kusumastuti, Head of TNP2K’s Cluster 1 Working Group: "The use of KPS has increased the Raskin quotas for RTS. This proves that the establishment of the KPS has led to improvements, "he said.

Elsewhere, Cecelia Sulaiman, Head of Programme Sub-Section, Secretariat of the General Directorate for Social Empowerment and Poverty Reduction, at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Fajar Suryono were guest speakers on a radio talk show at a radio network owned by RDI. Their appearance was part of a series of activities aimed at publicising Raskin in 2014, and boosting the use of KPS to access the Raskin programme.

These events are expected to help bring about greater improvements to the Raskin programme so that the "right target", "right amount" and the "right price" can be achieved, particularly by using the KPS.