The Kubu Raya Regency Administration has distributed second-quarter incentives to 1,946 Quran teachers and fardu kifayah workers despite tighter local finances. The handover, marking the regency’s 19th anniversary, also included Rp1.4 billion in BPJS Ketenagakerjaan benefits for 39 recipients. Kubu Raya Regent Sujiwo ordered beneficiary data to be reverified for accuracy and fairness.

KUBU RAYA, thekabarnews.com—The Kubu Raya Regency Administration in West Kalimantan has maintained financial incentives for community-based social and religious workers. This move is despite a significant reduction in its 2026 fiscal capacity.

Kubu Raya Regent Sujiwo symbolically presented the second-quarter incentives at his office on Friday, July 17. This event coincided with Kubu Raya’s 19th anniversary.

The recipients include 1,946 Quran teachers and fardu kifayah workers. These workers assist communities with Islamic funeral rites and other essential religious services.

The event also included the distribution of Rp1.4 billion (approximately US$85,000) in benefits from BPJS Ketenagakerjaan—Indonesia’s workers’ social security agency—to 39 beneficiaries. The social-security payments were separate from the quarterly incentives, according to the Kubu Raya Regency Government.

Sujiwo acknowledged that the incentives remained below recipients’ expectations. He said the administration had preserved the program to recognize residents providing direct social and religious services.

“This sum is indeed a small amount because our current financial condition is what it is. Thank God, we can still allocate it. This is the second-quarter disbursement, and hopefully everyone will remain enthusiastic in serving the community,” Sujiwo said.

Kubu Raya’s 2026 regional budget provides Rp1.589 trillion in revenue against Rp1.643 trillion in expenditures. This leaves a Rp54 billion deficit covered through regional financing. Local officials previously said reductions in central government transfers had forced the administration to revise planned programs.

A subsequent budget evaluation in March found that transfers to Kubu Raya had declined by approximately Rp397 billion (24 percent). This decline was according to official regional government figures.

Against that backdrop, continuing the incentive scheme signals that community-level religious and social services remain a local priority. Law No. 35 of 2007 established the Kubu Raya administration, which celebrated its 19th anniversary on July 17.

Sujiwo also ordered officials to reverify the Quran-teacher database. He said officials had not registered some active teachers. Certain listed recipients were no longer teaching because they had no students.

Officials will review the database to ensure future payments reach eligible, active workers. The government’s announcement did not disclose either the total incentive allocation or the amount received by each worker.