Minister cautions against diverting school assistance fund to gambling

Semarang, Central Java (ANTARA) – Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf during his working visit to Semarang, Central Java, Tuesday, emphasized that social assistance beneficiaries must use the aid according to the intended purpose.

Yusuf urged that school assistance should not be misappropriated for online gambling that undermines the morals and mental health of the community.

“We hope that all assistance provided by the government can be used properly,” Yusuf remarked.

He remarked that the assistance provided by his office is not limited to educational assistance but also covers pregnant women and their babies.

The minister explained that this effort is made to help parents provide good nutrition to their babies from an early age and reduce stunting cases in Indonesia.

“Food intake for pregnant women and their babies is important,” he emphasized.

This is also a mandate conveyed by President Prabowo Subianto to Yusuf who also served in the era of Joko Widodo’s administration.

According to the minister, the assistance when used properly and appropriately can play a major role in the progress of society in Semarang and also Indonesia in particular.

“The president has said, take advantage of the assistance. It may not be perfect but if used properly, it can bring many benefits to you, especially for our children,” the minister remarked.

During his visit to Semarang, Yusuf distributed aid worth Rp71,943,577,891 (US$4.5 million) comprising Single Elderly Food Assistance, YAPI assistance, ATENSI Assistance from Integrated Centers, PKH Assistance, and Basic Food Assistance.

Furthermore, based on Prabowo’s priority program, the government will distribute other assistance in the form of free nutritious meals targeting students from pre-school to high school and vocational school, Islamic boarding school students, and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

The program is expected to boost the economy in addition to helping to reduce stunting prevalence and improve the quality of human resources.

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Translator: Chairul Rohman, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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