REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARATA -- Social Service Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa and State Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno inaugurated an e-shop in Surabaya, East Java, on Saturday.

The e-shop is the sixth of its kind in Indonesia after Minister Khofifah earlier inaugurated e-shops in the five cities of Malang, Sidoarjo, Mojokerto, Makassar and Padang.

"We are laying a basis for economic development of the lowest class in the community. The presence of e-shops will enable card holders to redeem subsidized basic necessities," she said while inaugurating the e-shop.

For instance, they may redeem a kilogram of sugar at Rp12,500, compared to the market price of Rp16,000 per kilogram, she added.

To buy goods at e-shops, participants of family hope program (PKH) must show "Bisa" cards which are only distributed to the less fortunate families.

The subsidized basic necessities include cooking oil, rice, sugar and wheat flour. In the future, it would be possible to use the cards for various purposes.

The e-shop in Surabaya has been developed by state lender PT Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), particularly by developing technology and a system of distributing social assistance or non-cash subsidy.

The Social Service Ministry and BNI had earlier tried and operated the system simultaneously in the cities of Malang, Sidoarjo and Mojokerto.

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