Jakarta, The government continues to strive for equitable economic growth by distributing various social assistance (bansos) as part of an inclusive fiscal strategy. Various programs are designed to strengthen people’s purchasing power, protect vulnerable groups, and maintain the rate of national economic growth in the second quarter of 2025. This assistance is not merely an expenditure, but a form of long-term investment for shared prosperity.
Member of the National Economic Council (DEN), Arief Anshory Yusuf, said that the provision of social assistance should be viewed as a form of long-term investment.
“People often refer to social assistance as a cost, but it is an investment. The goal is for us to achieve future growth, or directly drive current growth,” Arief said.
He emphasized that the current social assistance policy is in line with the direction of development stated in President Prabowo Subianto’s Astacita, which places public welfare as the main priority.
On the fiscal side, the Director General of Economic and Fiscal Strategy at the Ministry of Finance, Febrio Kacaribu, explained that the government has set a fairly large budget in the 2025 State Budget (APBN) posture.
“A total of IDR 503.2 trillion or 13.9 percent of the total 2025 State Budget of IDR 3,621.3 trillion is allocated for social protection, and six percent or IDR 218.5 trillion is prepared for the health sector,” he explained.
Febrio explained the details of the economic stimulus package rolled out in the second quarter with a total budget of IDR24.4 trillion. In the package, the government provides various direct incentives to the public, including transportation discounts of IDR0.94 trillion, toll tariff discounts of IDR0.65 trillion, thickening of social assistance of IDR11.93 trillion, wage subsidy assistance (BSU) of IDR10.72 trillion, and extension of the Work Accident Insurance (JKK) contribution discount of IDR0.2 trillion.
“With this package, we hope that people’s purchasing power will be maintained and economic growth in the second quarter can be encouraged,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Minister of Manpower Yassierli said that the first phase of BSU distribution has reached 2,450,068 workers from a total target of 3,697,836 people. The government ensures that this assistance can be received on time and on target.
“The first phase of BSU distribution has been carried out, and the remainder is still in the process of being disbursed directly to the recipient’s account,” said Yassierli.
For the second phase, as many as 4.5 million prospective recipients are in the process of data verification by related agencies. This BSU program not only targets formal sector workers, but also includes vulnerable groups such as honorary teachers.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani emphasized the government’s commitment to disbursing funds through the APBN to support the implementation of BSU this year.
“This assistance targets workers, including honorary teachers, with incomes below IDR 3.5 million or below the minimum wage standard in the province or district/city,” said Sri Mulyani.
With a structured and comprehensive approach, the government shows a real commitment to strengthening the foundation of a fairer and more equitable economy. Social assistance is positioned not only as state spending, but as a long-term investment to create sustainable welfare for all Indonesian people.
