Jakarta – The government has doubled the allocation of cash assistance distributed through the Family Hope Program.

This year, the government allocated Rp 17 trillion (US$1.12 billion) for the program, but the figure will increase to Rp 34.4 trillion next year. Poor households will receive Rp 3.4 million annually, an increase from Rp 1.7 million.

"This is in line with the effort to accelerate poverty eradication," said Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati at the House of Representatives building on Wednesday.

It was also reported that the government had also expanded the number of contribution assistance recipients from 86.4 million in 2015 to 96.8 million in 2019.

Fund allocation for social protection reached Rp 385 trillion, 15.64 percent of the total projected spending in 2019. The remaining funds will be distributed through other programs.

In the 2019 state budget, the government is projected to spend Rp 2.46 quadrillion (US$161.84 billion) – comprising Rp 1.63 quadrillion by the central government and Rp 826.8 trillion by regional administrations. Meanwhile, it aims to collect Rp 2.16 quadrillion in revenue in 2019. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/11/01/government-doubles-funds-for-poor-households.html