Digital Integration Speeds Up Social Aid Registration and Checks

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is preparing to digitalize its Social Protection (Perlinsos) programs to make assistance more targeted and streamline data collection and verification. The government estimates the system could generate efficiencies of up to IDR 200 trillion (approx. USD 11.43 billion).

Head of the Government Communications Agency (Bakom), Muhammad Qodari, said Digital Perlinsos integrates data from multiple ministries and institutions to accelerate registration and eligibility checks for social‑assistance recipients.

In trial runs, a process that previously took up to 200 days was reduced to around five minutes.

“If it were done manually, it would take 200 days, or more than half a year. Now, with this trial, it can be done in around five minutes,” Qodari said at a press conference on Priority Program Updates at the Bakom Auditorium in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

He explained that the system uses data from eight ministries and agencies as filters to assess eligibility.

These datasets include land ownership, electricity usage, housing conditions, age, vehicle ownership, employment status, and wages. The system then matches this information with decile data, which has long been used to determine eligibility for social assistance.

Integrating these datasets improves accuracy by giving the government a more complete picture of potential recipients’ conditions. It also allows verification to rely on connected agency data rather than manual field collection.

Digitalizing Perlinsos is also intended to reduce the administrative burden on local administrations.

Qodari cited a pilot study in Surabaya that provided an integrated database for officials at the neighborhood, community, village, and subdistrict levels, enabling them to identify potential recipients without manual data collection.

More efficient data collection and accurate information are expected to reduce misallocated budgets.

Qodari said applying DPI principles and improved data filters in the Family Hope Program (PKH) and Non‑Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) could save tens of trillions of rupiah. If expanded across various social‑protection programs, potential savings could reach IDR 127 trillion to IDR 200 trillion.

“Based on the National Economic Council’s projections for 2024, the potential efficiency is estimated to reach IDR 127 trillion to IDR 200 trillion,” Qodari said. He added that this aligns with the government’s efforts to ensure the state budget is used effectively so that assistance reaches those who truly need it.

Sleman Regency in Yogyakarta was previously selected as a pilot area for Digital Perlinsos, which aims to distribute assistance more efficiently and minimize corruption, collusion, and nepotism.

Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Hafid, said the program upholds two main principles: data accuracy and time‑and‑cost efficiency for both the public and the government.

Population‑data integration allows individuals to register from home without submitting physical documents, reducing transportation and photocopying costs.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital is providing digital data-exchange infrastructure to ensure fast, secure verification. “Our goal is to complete the process in just a few minutes. Residents reported that registration can be completed in just five minutes. The Ministry’s role is to ensure this data‑exchange toll road is uninterrupted and secure,” Meutya said on Thursday, August 13, 2026.

The Ministry of Social Affairs will evaluate trial results in Sleman to refine the system before expanding Digital Perlinsos nationwide. She also warned the public about fraudulent schemes using the name of Digital Perlinsos, emphasizing that registration is free and must be done through official government channels.

Through data integration and connected digital infrastructure, the government hopes to accelerate aid distribution, improve targeting accuracy, reduce bureaucratic burdens, and increase the efficiency of social‑protection spending. ***