The Government is Distributing Social Assistance Through a Digital Approach, Ensuring Aid Reaches the Right Targets
By: Gavin Asadit )*
The government has emphasized the digitalization of social assistance (bansos) distribution as a strategic step to ensure targeted, transparent, and accountable assistance. In 2025, the Ministry of Social Affairs, along with relevant ministries, began piloting the Social Protection Portal (Perlinsos), centralized in Banyuwangi, as a national pilot project. This program is designed to minimize data errors and reduce face-to-face interactions that have previously opened up opportunities for irregularities.
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf stated that the digital mechanism will apply objective criteria so that admission decisions are made by the system, not by officials. The trial, which began in September 2025, is a crucial step in demonstrating that technology can speed up verification, reduce human error, and make aid distribution more equitable. The government is also opening a self-registration channel through the app or through specially trained field agents to assist those unfamiliar with digital services.
Support for digitalization comes from the highest levels of the cabinet. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Chairman of the Government’s Digital Transformation Acceleration Committee, emphasized that Perlinsos is part of a broader digital public infrastructure implementation to improve the quality of state services. He emphasized the need for synergy across ministries and agencies to ensure integrated data can serve as a single reference for determining beneficiary families. This integration is expected to reduce cases of ineligible recipients and address potential budget leaks.
The government recognizes that a significant percentage of aid is still not being properly targeted, making digitalization an urgent corrective measure. This step is not merely a technological modernization, but also an effort to improve governance so that funds actually reach those in need. Digitalization is also expected to reduce the potential for data manipulation and improve distribution equity.
Meanwhile, Ivan Yustiavandana, Head of the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center, emphasized the importance of utilizing big data analysis to detect anomalies in aid recipients. He cited the example of recipients with large balances or professional backgrounds that should not be on the aid list. He argued that digitalization would facilitate rapid and systematic verification, thereby preventing irregularities from occurring.
From a technical perspective, the government has designed three main channels for the Social Protection Program (Perlinsos): registration, integrated data-based verification, and a reporting and complaints mechanism. Social Protection Agents are specially trained to act as liaisons for vulnerable groups lacking digital skills. Thus, the new system ensures inclusivity without leaving out those most in need.
However, the government is not blind to potential challenges. Public concerns about data security, the risk of errors in data entry, and data collection issues in remote areas are serious concerns. Therefore, the government has established strict information security standards, an appeals mechanism, and field verification to ensure that no eligible citizen is overlooked.
Digitization is an inevitable step towards modernizing social services. However, success will depend heavily on data quality, field agent capacity, and process transparency. Regular audits and community involvement in monitoring are considered essential to ensure program accountability and alignment with objectives.
The pilot phase in Banyuwangi will serve as a benchmark for national scale-up. If the results demonstrate effectiveness, the government plans to gradually expand implementation. This plan includes the publication of a performance dashboard that can be directly monitored by the public, allowing for collaborative oversight of aid distribution.
The government emphasizes that the digitalization of social assistance is not merely a matter of technicalities or bureaucratic efficiency, but rather a strategic step to strengthen public trust in the state. Through the use of technology, each stage of aid distribution can be monitored more clearly and measurably, thereby minimizing the potential for misuse, overlapping data, and distribution delays. This transparency is expected to instill a sense of fairness in the community while ensuring that beneficiaries’ rights are met in a timely manner.
Furthermore, the government believes that support from the public, the legislature, and stakeholders is key to success in driving digital transformation in the social protection sector. Cross-sector collaboration is necessary to ensure that the system developed is not only technologically robust but also aligned with needs on the ground. In this way, the digitalization of social assistance is expected to become the main foundation for creating a more equitable, transparent, and targeted social protection system in the long term.
Going forward, the government is also preparing various additional innovations, including data integration across ministries and agencies, utilizing artificial intelligence to analyze recipient needs, and strengthening cybersecurity systems. These steps aim to ensure the sustainability of the program while providing maximum protection for people’s personal data. With these ongoing innovations, the digitalization of social assistance is expected to not only improve current governance but also address future challenges.
)* The author is an observer of social and community issues
