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Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Tjahjo Kumolo. (ANTARA/HO-PR of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry) - 

Civil servants do not meet the criteria for receiving social assistance because they receive a steady income from the government, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister (Menpan RB) Tjahjo Kumolo has said.

"Therefore, civil servants do not meet the criteria of social assistance (beneficiaries)," he said in a written statement received here on Saturday.

He made the statement in response to Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini disclosing data showing that 31,624 state civil servants have received government assistance.

Speaking on the sanctions that the civil servants will face, he said a more in-depth investigation is needed to find out whether or not they intentionally committed fraud or abused their authority to include themselves as social assistance recipients.

If it is proved that the civil servants committed fraudulent acts, then they can be given disciplinary punishment, in accordance with Government Regulation Number 94 of 2021 concerning Discipline of Civil Servants, he added.

In addition, he said, it is necessary for regional governments or related parties to review the mechanism for determining data on social assistance recipients so that those who are truly eligible to become assistance beneficiaries can be validated and verified.

Based on Presidential Regulation Number 63 of 2017 concerning the Distribution of Cashless Social Assistance, recipients of social assistance must be persons, families, groups, or poor communities who are poor or vulnerable to social risks, he pointed out.

Earlier, Minister Rismaharini had revealed that around 31 thousand civil servants (ASN) were indicated to have received social assistance from the Social Affairs Ministry under the Family Hope Recipient Program (PKH) and Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT).

As many as 28,965 people out of the total 31,624 recipients were active civil servants, while the rest were retirees who did not fall in the group eligible for receiving social assistance, she said//ANT