Gov’t Rolls Out Village Index to Gauge Village Development Achievements
The rollout of Village Index at the office of Ministry of the National Development Planning in Jakarta, Monday (03/04). (Photo by: PR of Bappenas)The Government Monday (03/04) has rolled out Village Index that serves as a single indicator for measuring village development achievements.
The index is the result of a collaboration between Ministry of the National Development Planning (PPN)/ the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, and Statistics Indonesia.
“During a limited meeting on December 11, 2019 on Distribution of 2020 Village Funds, the President gave approval for the Village Index. It was approved to integrate all existing indices used to measure village development achievements into a single index,” Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Human Development and Culture Yuli Harsono said in his remarks at the rollout event.
Yuli pointed out that there used to be three indices, namely the Village Development Index, Developing Village Index, and Village Index, causing unaligned policies on village development.
For that reason, Cabinet Secretariat pushed relevant ministries/institutions to use a single index, Yuli added.
“Cabinet Secretariat sent letter number B.0308/Seskab/PMK/06/2023 dated 23 June 2023 to Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture on Utilization of Village Index for Measuring Village Advancement and Autonomy Status, which urged the Coordinating Minister to coordinate to complete Village Index,” he said.
Yuli added that the index is in line with the directive of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo that urged ministries/institutions and regional governments to focus on realizing One Data Indonesia.
Yuli also expressed hope that the index can be useful in organizing village development achievements and ministries/institutions as well as regional governments can share the same perspective in appropriate policy-making that benefits villages.
“Village Index implementation certainly requires the commitment of all ministries/institutions, provincial governments, regency governments, and village governments so that it can be applied in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of village development policies, including on Village Fund allocation,” he remarked.
On that occasion, Secretary to the Minister of PPN Teni Widuriyanti stated that the Village Index measures village development based on six aspects, namely Basic Services, Social, Economy, Environment, Accessibility, and Village Government.
“Dimensions and indicators for Village Index were based on statistics principles, so they can immediately be integrated into One Data Indonesia while still referring to data sharing and interoperability principles,” she said.
According to Teni, Village Index can be the main reference for formulating village development policies at the central, regional, and village government levels.
Teni pointed out that the Village Index result will be officially used in 2025 based on the data processed by Minister of Village, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration between April/May and June 2024.
Teni further said that it is important that stakeholders oversee the implementation of Village Index and ensure equal regional development.
“Village development for achieving Golden Indonesia 2045 is heavily focused on the mainstreaming of cross-sectoral and multi-actor village development and village autonomy. Villages must be willing and able to grow and advance together and in line with cities,” she said.
For the record, Village Index is a universal village development performance indicator. It aligns with the implementation of development equality in the 2025-2045 National Long-Term Development Plan, which requires elimination of disparity to achieve one of the visions of Golden Indonesia 2045, namely moving towards zero percent poverty and disparity reduction.
In 2023, Statistics Indonesia recorded that poverty in villages reached 12.22 percent, whereas the rate in cities was 7.29 percent.
“Elimination of disparity not only aims for reduction of disparity between western and eastern Indonesia but also between cities and villages as well as between communities with different income brackets,” Teni remarked. (TGH/KS/PR of Ministry of the National Development Planning/UN) (DH/MUR)
