Jakarta, Aug. 18 -- Indonesia's Ministry of Social Affairs emphasized its commitment to ensuring sufficient food supplies for about 31,000 East Nusa Tenggara residents currently sheltering in government evacuation centers and other locations following Saturday's magnitude 7.7 earthquake.

"There are more than 31,000 people displaced. As of today, the Ministry of Social Affairs has channeled over Rp14 billion (US$780,000) in funding for relief support," Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He pointed out that the ministry is using the budget to procure and distribute commodities urgently needed by quake-hit communities, including 48 metric tons of rice and 7,500 packages of staple goods.

The ministry, he co...