By: Gavin Asadit )*
In 2025, the Indonesian government will further strengthen its social assistance (bansos) distribution policy by implementing several new regulations emphasizing fairness and targeted targeting. This policy is a response to numerous findings and evaluations that have shown widespread inaccuracy in social assistance distribution in previous years, including duplicate data, misuse, and the inclusion of the wealthy in the recipient list.
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, along with various cross-sectoral institutions, is actively updating data, re-screening, and digitizing the system to ensure that social assistance is only received by those truly entitled.
One of the most crucial steps implemented by the government this year is the use of a decile system as the basis for classifying community welfare. This system divides the population into ten groups based on their level of well-being. By 2025, social assistance recipients will be prioritized only for deciles 1 to 4, namely those classified as poor and extremely poor.
According to data from the Ministry of Social Affairs, approximately 1.9 million social assistance recipients previously in deciles 6 to 10 were declared no longer eligible and had their eligibility revoked. This measure was taken to ensure that social assistance funds did not fall to those who did not actually need them and to ensure the program truly reached the most vulnerable segments of society.
Furthermore, the government has also imposed a maximum duration of five years for productive groups to receive social assistance. After this period, recipients will be re-evaluated based on their current socio-economic conditions. If they are deemed capable or have experienced an increase in welfare, their right to social assistance will be revoked. This policy aims to prevent social assistance from becoming an instrument of long-term dependency, but rather a temporary support to escape poverty. The government emphasizes that social assistance should be a bridge to independence, not a shortcut to obtaining permanent subsidies.
However, the government continues to pay special attention to groups in society who are considered unproductive and lack the capacity for economic independence. Three categories of social assistance recipients designated as lifetime recipients are non-productive elderly people, people with mental disorders (ODGJ), and people with severe disabilities.
Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar, stated that this decision was made to ensure social justice and provide protection to citizens who lack the ability to support themselves. The government believes that the state must guarantee the livelihood of this group as part of its constitutional mandate.
Efforts to tighten social assistance are also supported by strengthening digital systems and public participation. Through the Ministry of Social Affairs’ official Cek Bansos application and portal, the public can now nominate themselves as recipients or submit objections to the data of other recipients deemed ineligible. Since the system’s active implementation in early 2025, more than 500,000 new proposals have been submitted, although the number of objections remains low. The Ministry of Social Affairs stated that active public involvement in improving data is crucial for more accurate and targeted social assistance programs. Data verification is also conducted quarterly and involves field officers, PKH (Family Hope Program) facilitators, and relevant institutions.
In an effort to clean up data and streamline budgets, the government is conducting a major update to the list of National Health Insurance Premium Assistance Recipients (PBI JKN). Approximately 8 million recipients’ data has been deactivated because they no longer meet the criteria for poverty. Furthermore, thousands of recipients of the Family Hope Program (PKH) and the Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) have had their rights revoked because they no longer fall into deciles 1–4. This step demonstrates the government’s commitment to avoiding budget waste and ensuring that state assistance reaches those who truly need it.
Meanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto emphasized the importance of oversight in the distribution of social assistance, particularly to prevent misuse of aid funds for illegal activities such as online gambling. The government, along with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), is currently designing a stricter oversight system, including tracing the flow of aid funds channeled through recipients’ personal accounts. If any indication of misuse is found, social assistance will be immediately terminated. The President stated that social assistance is not just a matter of budget, but also of justice and the sustainability of community life.
As part of the 2025 economic stimulus, the government also increased social assistance by adding Rp200,000 per month in direct cash assistance to BPNT recipients for two consecutive months. This increase aims to stimulate household consumption amid global economic pressures that impact the purchasing power of the poor. This increase is temporary and does not alter the basic structure of the regular social assistance program. The government hopes that this stimulus will effectively mitigate inflationary pressures on vulnerable groups.
Despite various steps taken, challenges in implementing social assistance remain. Reports from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) and the Indonesian Ombudsman revealed various instances of maladministration in aid distribution, including duplicate recipients, fictitious recipients, and fund cuts by individuals in the field. BPK findings from previous years indicate potential state losses of nearly Rp 7 trillion due to the improper distribution of social assistance. Therefore, the government continues to promote transparency and data disclosure to systematically close any loopholes for misappropriation.
Community involvement, inter-agency collaboration, and data integration are key to the success of the social assistance reforms currently being promoted by the government. Currently, the Ministry of Social Affairs is working closely with the Statistics Indonesia (BPS) for decile classification, the Civil Registration Agency (Dukcapil) for population data verification, and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) for fund flow monitoring. The government is also continuously improving the public complaints and reporting system to ensure that any irregularities can be promptly addressed.
With a more systematic, accurate, and transparent approach, it is hoped that social assistance can become an effective instrument for social development. The 2025 social assistance reform is not only about budget efficiency, but also about building a more prosperous, just, and independent society. The government believes these steps will produce long-term effects in the form of reduced poverty, increased economic independence, and a strengthened sense of social justice within the community.
)* The author is an observer of social and community issues
