Indonesia to expand digital social protection trial to 42 regions

Indonesia will expand trials of its digital social protection system Perlinsos to 42 cities and districts in June 2026, sharply scaling up a pilot aimed at improving welfare distribution through integrated digital public infrastructure.

Director General of Digital Government Technology at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, Mira Tayyiba, said the next phase would be 42 times larger than the initial pilot launched in Banyuwangi, East Java, in September 2025.

"Starting in June, we will roll out the digital social protection trial in 42 districts and cities. This is on a much bigger scale, 42 times larger than Banyuwangi,” Tayyiba said during a media discussion in Jakarta on Monday.

The Digital Social Protection system is Indonesia’s first integrated welfare platform built on an upgraded Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) framework designed to streamline public service delivery and improve data connectivity across various state agencies.

Under the new system, residents can register through the social welfare portal perlinsos.kemensos.go.id to access assistance programs, including the Family Hope Program (PKH) and Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT).

During the Banyuwangi pilot, around 350 thousand residents registered for financial and food support through the platform.

Tayyiba said the expanded trial is expected to reach more than 36 million people across multiple islands.

The target demographic is equivalent to about 1.1 million households across Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and eastern Indonesia.

The government is preparing comprehensive technical support to ensure a smooth implementation of the digital platform.

This preparation includes upgrading the Government Service Connectivity System and ensuring reliable internet access in participating areas.

"The challenge for us is not only data exchange but also internet infrastructure, because everything is digitalized. Some of the 42 cities and districts may already have strong infrastructure, while others may still lag behind,” she said.

Member of the National Economic Council, Arief Anshori Yusuf, said the digitalization effort is expected to improve targeting accuracy for welfare distribution and reduce barriers faced by eligible recipients.

He said administrative and population data issues had often prevented people from accessing aid, but integrating national identity records through a single platform could help reduce such problems.

"There are administrative issues and population data issues, and with DPI these can be minimized,” Yusuf said.