JakartaGlobe-Apr 23
The continuous influx of visitors from other provinces seeking residency or job opportunities in Jakarta has incurred significant social spending costs for the city, revealed a city official on Tuesday. Budi Awaluddin, head of the Jakarta Civil Registration Office, said many individuals are drawn to Jakarta due to the city’s robust welfare system, which is considered the most generous in the country. The provincial government provides a wide array of financial subsidies for low-income families, covering healthcare, education, transportation, food purchases, and utilities, Budi explained. “That’s part of the reason why so many people have been drawn to Jakarta which generously spends Rp 17.18 trillion ($1 billion) in subsidies every year,” Budi disclosed during a forum group discussion held at the B-Universe Media Holdings office in Pantai Indah Kapuk 2, near Jakarta. Monthly subsidies include up to Rp 450,000 for elementary or high school students, Rp 37,800 for health insurance, up to Rp 280,000 for food, Rp 300,000 for orphans, and Rp 300,000 for the elderly. Additionally, the city allocates Rp 9 million in subsidies for tuition fees for university students from low-income families, payable every semester.Budi hinted that many new city dwellers are parasitic users of the city’s welfare system, noting that most of them lack specific job skills or adequate education levels, leading to an overreliance on Jakarta’s welfare system. The influx of migrants from other provinces has resulted in never-ending social problems for Jakarta, including a rising poverty rate, increased unemployment, the proliferation of slum areas, and escalated social costs for healthcare and education. Read more at: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/interprovince-migration-costs-jakarta-trillions-of-rupiah
