By: Dennis Chandrawinata)
The government once again demonstrates its commitment to being actively present among the people through the 2025 Social Assistance (Bansos) Program. This initiative is a direct representation of the state’s alignment with the people, particularly those who are poor and vulnerable. Amid global economic pressures, Bansos serves as a lifeline for millions of affected families and as proof that the state does not stand idle.
Minister of Social Affairs, Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul), stated that social assistance is a crucial instrument in stabilizing the socio-economic conditions of the lower class. He noted that in collaboration with the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the Ministry of Social Affairs regularly updates and filters beneficiary data to ensure that aid reaches only those who truly need it. According to him, this data-driven approach reflects the government’s seriousness in maintaining fair distribution and avoiding policy overlap.
The government, through the Ministry of Social Affairs, has begun the second phase of social assistance distribution to approximately 16.5 million beneficiary families. The program includes initiatives such as the Family Hope Program (PKH) and Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT), with a total budget of around IDR 10 trillion. The distribution is now based on the Unified National Socio-Economic Data (DTSEN), enabling a more targeted and transparent system. This step underscores that the state’s presence is realized through a more modern, adaptive, and publicly accountable system.
Head of BPS, Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, stated that the update of DTSEN in the second quarter of 2025 is key to improving the targeting accuracy of social assistance. Reliable data strengthens the government’s legitimacy in the public eye. Social assistance is no longer just about cash handouts but represents the state’s effort to build a resilient and sustainable social protection system.
Through integrated data, the government can analyze the actual conditions of households and set aid priorities. Around 1.8 million families whose economic conditions have improved have been removed from the beneficiary list, with aid redirected to those in greater need. This proves that the Bansos program is not static but dynamic and adaptive to the community’s condition. Data accuracy is a fundamental factor that makes the program more credible and targeted.
The use of information technology in distributing Bansos has also been enhanced through the “Cek Bansos” (Check Bansos) application. The “suggest and dispute” feature allows the public to directly participate in the verification process of aid recipients. This turns citizens not only into beneficiaries but also into overseers of social policy implementation. Public participation reinforces transparency and reduces the potential for misuse in aid distribution. Citizen involvement in overseeing Bansos is a tangible manifestation of the democratization of social aid distribution in Indonesia.
Minister for Community Empowerment, Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar (Cak Imin), stated that Bansos should not stop at cash assistance but should evolve into empowerment programs. He emphasized the importance of skill training, business capital support, and developing the people’s economic ecosystem within future Bansos policy schemes. With such an approach, Bansos will become a driver of the micro-economy, not merely a subsidy to stimulate household consumption.
In this empowerment framework, the government is also implementing a five-year time limit for productive recipients of social assistance. Exceptions are made for the elderly and persons with disabilities who require long-term protection. This demonstrates that the state’s presence is not to create dependency but to promote long-term economic independence.
Collaboration between central and local governments has also been strengthened to prevent gaps in implementation. Local governments play a role in validating data and directly supervising on the ground to ensure more accurate and locally tailored aid distribution. This inter-institutional synergy is part of the effort to build an inclusive and adaptive social protection system that responds to the economic dynamics of society.
Social policy observer from the University of Indonesia, Rini Larasati, stated that Bansos has evolved from merely temporary aid to a tool for social development. The government has successfully utilized the post-pandemic momentum to revamp the social protection system to be more responsive and data-based. According to her, this is the most concrete form of state presence: showing up when needed, targeting the right beneficiaries, and helping citizens rise.
Bansos also serves as one of the driving forces of national economic recovery. By maintaining the purchasing power of the poor and vulnerable, household consumption remains steady—one of the main components of economic growth. Moreover, Bansos programs accompanied by training and mentoring can create new entrepreneurs in the informal sector, which absorbs local labor.
Looking ahead, the government is committed to further strengthening the Bansos system through digital approaches and community-based interventions. Bansos is the result of a dialogue between policy, data, and the aspirations of the people. Therefore, the sustainability of this program will become stronger as it is built on public trust and participation. This is a form of joint involvement between the state and its citizens in maintaining the nation’s social resilience.
Social assistance is no longer seen as a fiscal burden but as a social investment that strengthens societal cohesion and resilience. Amid various challenges, Bansos is the visible face of the state’s solidarity with its people. This commitment must be preserved and strengthened to realize a prosperous and empowered Indonesian society.
*) The author is an Economic Observer.
