Compensation Given Following Fuel Price Increase

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Coordinating minister for people's welfare Agung Laksono assured the government would give compensation to the economically weak to maintain their buying power with regard to its plan to increase the price of subsidized fuel oils.

"Any police that will cause inflation will be compensated for to maintain the people's buying power," he said here on Tuesday after a national meeting on national development.

Agung said the compensation would be put in the form of increased social spending such as program for boosting hopeful families, scholarship program for poor students and rice for the poor program and cash handout program.

"This is still being calculated and would be put in the revised budget," he said.

Social Affairs minister Salim Segaf Al Jufri meanwhile said he could not as yet know how big would be the budget for the temporary direct cash aid.

"It is still being discussed and not yet definitive. What have been definitive are programs for the hopeful families, scholarship for the poor and rice for the poor," he said. (*/DWA)