Allocation up to Rp400.1 trillion, President Jokowi: Village Fund Must be Carefully Managed

President Joko Widodo during the Launch of Legal Entity Certificates and the Opening Ceremony of National Coordination Meeting of Village-Owned Enterprises, Monday (20/12/2021). (Photo: Bureau of Press, Media, and Information Affairs of Presidential Secretariat/ Rusman)

Since 2015, the Government has allocated Rp400.1 trillion for Village Fund. Therefore, during the Launch of Legal Entity Certificates and the Opening Ceremony of National Coordination Meeting of Village-Owned Enterprises (BUM Desa), Monday morning (12/20), at Birawa Ballroom, Bidakara Hotel, Jakarta, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reminded all related elements to manage the Village Fund carefully.

“Please be careful in managing the large amount of money allocated for Village Fund. Once again, Rp400.1 trillion is a very large amount. Once it is wrongly targeted and not well-managed, it will go haywire. I need to remind you this,” the President said.

President precisely mentioned that the Village Budget in 2015 was Rp20.8 trillion, Rp46.7 trillion in 2016, Rp59.8 trillion in 2018, Rp69.8 trillion in 2019, Rp71.1 trillion in 2020, and Rp72 trillion in 2021.

“We can see that Regional Budget for Village has also been increasing drastically. In 2014, it was Rp329 million in average; in 2015, it went higher up to Rp701 million; and in 2021 it becomes Rp1.6 billion,” he added.

The President emphasized that since 2014, the Government has committed to develop Indonesia from the outermost parts, borders, and villages. It is an Indonesia-centric development, not Java-centric one.

“What we have built is not only large constructions, such as toll roads, big seaports, or airports. Not only such things, but also streets in kampongs and villages, retention basins, and renovations of traditional markets in villages,” he said.

Furthermore, the President explained that a number of physical developments in villages has been carried out by using the budget allocation.

“From the data I have received, the physical developments are already realized. Village streets, for example.  We have built as many as 227 thousand kilometers village streets, 4,500 units of small resistant basins, 71 thousand units of irrigations, 1.3 million meters of bridges, 10,300 units of village markets, and 57,200 Village-Owned Enterprises. All have been realized,’ he stated.

In addition, the budget has also been used to support the improvement of quality of life for people in villages, such as the development of 1.2 million kilometers clean water supply infrastructures, 38 thousand units of integrated healthcare centers, 12 thousand units of village maternity facilities, and 38 million meters of drainage system.

“They all have been built. 59 thousand units of wells, 56 thousand units of Early Childhood Education and Development (PAUD), sports facilities, public bathing, washing, and toilet (MCK) facilities. All of them are built in order to improve the quality of life of people in villages,” he remarked. (FID/UN) (AW/MMB)