JAKARTA – Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT) Yandri Susanto stated that the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Kemendes PDT) stands fully prepared to support and execute social protection (Perlinsos) programs for the public.

To this end, Kemendes PDT will mobilize 25,380 village assistants stationed across 37 provinces to serve as social protection agents. They are expected to assist residents in registering for social assistance and updating their social data.

Kemendes PDT will act as a provider of supporting data to enhance targeting, intervention design, and the overall effectiveness of village-based poverty alleviation initiatives.

"We currently deploy nearly 26,000 active village assistants across Indonesia. Their functions directly align with the strategic objectives discussed today," Minister Yandri stated during a ministerial-level meeting on the expansion of social protection and its 2027 implementation roadmap at the Aneka Bhakti Building, Ministry of Social Affairs, Jakarta, on Wednesday (September 30, 2026).

Minister Yandri outlined six strategic responsibilities for village assistants in advancing social protection: facilitating the identification of vulnerable populations, improving social data accuracy, conducting educational and outreach campaigns, facilitating access to social protection services, strengthening participatory oversight, and driving local economic empowerment.

Expanding social protection remains a primary national priority aimed at accelerating poverty reduction and shielding vulnerable communities in a precise and targeted manner. Access to accurate, real-time data will prove vital to ensuring that social protection programs are targeted, inclusive, and sustainable.

"In essence, we are ready to take action immediately on technical implementation. We fully support this agenda and will move swiftly to advance the expansion of social protection," Minister Yandri affirmed.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Economic Council (DEN) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan emphasized that expanding social protection is essential to fostering social justice and national unity across Indonesia.

Consequently, he called on all line ministries, government agencies, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) to unite in executing this national expansion. All stakeholders are urged to serve as agents for social protection outreach, conducting data collection through the end of 2026 to ensure that social assistance programs delivered in 2027 reach their intended beneficiaries accurately.

"All ministries, agencies, the military, and the police must work as one. This initiative will instill a sense of justice and solidarity across our nation. Let us set aside differences and concentrate entirely on social protection. This forms a core foundation of President Prabowo's administration, and executing it successfully will represent a major triumph for this government," DEN Chairman Luhut stated.

The ministerial-level meeting was attended by Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar, Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian, Minister of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform Rini Widyantini, Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid, Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar, alongside heads of relevant non-ministerial institutions.

Accompanying Minister Yandri at the event were Director General of Village and Rural Development Nugroho Setijo Nagoro and Director General of Economic Development and Rural Investment Tabrani.

Photo: Sigit/Kemendes PDT 
Text: Rifqi/Kemendes PDT