Ministry probes causes of delay in cash assistance distribution

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Finance is reviewing the cause of the delay in the distribution of additional Direct Cash Assistance (BLT), which has not yet been fully received by the public.

“We have been informed that further logistical preparations are required,” Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said here on Tuesday (October 21).

According to him, BLT distribution is usually prioritized for households in deciles 1 and 2, allowing faster disbursement compared to other groups.

Meanwhile, BLT distribution for recipients outside those categories will follow later, Purbaya added.

To accelerate the process, the minister said he would coordinate with PT Pos Indonesia, one of the state-owned enterprises assigned to distribute the assistance.

“The aid should be distributed this week,” he emphasized.

The government has doubled the number of BLT recipients, reaching 35.04 million beneficiary families for the October–December 2025 period.

Each family will receive assistance worth Rp900,000 (US$52), to be disbursed in a single payment in October.

Purbaya stated that the additional Rp34 trillion (US$1.9 billion) budget for the program was sourced from unspent funds reallocated within the national budget.

Originally planned for two months, the program was extended to three months while expanding the recipient base to include households in deciles 3 and 4.

The assistance targets communities in deciles 1 to 4, based on the National Socioeconomic Data (DSEN), and complements regular BLT distributed by the Ministry of Social Affairs to 20.88 million beneficiaries under the Family Hope Program (PKH) and Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT).

Distribution will be carried out through the state-owned Himbara bank group to 18.3 million families starting next week, while PT Pos Indonesia will handle disbursement for another 17.2 million families.

Earlier, Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf announced that around 8,000 families had already received the additional cash assistance through Himbara accounts.

He emphasized that the increased assistance is expected to boost public purchasing power toward the end of the year and strengthen the social safety net amid ongoing economic challenges.