President Jokowi: Urban Village Funds to be Immediately Utilized
President Jokowi accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung walks to a Limited Meeting room, at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, on Friday (2/11). (Photo by: Agung/Public Relations Division)
President Joko Jokowi Widodo reiterated that the main purpose of the Village Funds and the Urban Village Funds is to speed up the improvement of peoples welfare, both in the village, in the city, and in the urban village.
We want to significantly reduce poverty rate in the rural and urban areas through these funds, and the income gap between residents both in rural and urban areas is also narrowing, said the President when giving an introduction to a Limited Meeting on Budgeting the Village Funds and Urban Village Funds, at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, on Friday (2/11).
Regarding the Village Funds, the President explained that the budget rose every year. In the past four years, the Government has channeled Rp187 trillion in Village Funds, and for 2019 it has increased by 16.7 percent from Rp60 trillion this year to Rp70 trillion.
The President pointed out that the utilization of the Village Funds should be guarded and focused on reducing poverty and inequality in the village, developing productive economies, and stimulating small industries in the village.
As for the Urban Village Funds, the President stressed that the funds did not appear overnight. He reminded all that three years ago, several mayors throughout Indonesia, who were members of the Indonesian City Government Association (Apeksi), proposed the Urban Village Funds, to reduce urbanization in cities in Indonesia and to deal with the increasingly complex problems starting from poverty, inequality among citizens to employment.
Responding to the aspirations of the mayors, in the 2019 State Budget with the approval of the House of Representatives, the Government has budgeted the urban village funds of Rp3 trillion, the President said, while asking Minister of Finance to immediately prepare a mechanism for disbursing the urban village funds so that it could immediately be utilized.
Meanwhile, the President requested Minister of Home Affairs to prepare a framework for supervision and evaluation so that the utilization of the Urban Village Funds can truly meet the interests of the residents in the urban village and in the city.
The Limited Meeting was also attended by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Darmin Nasution, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut B. Pandjaitan, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani, Minister of National Development Planning (PPN)/Head of the National Development Planning Agency Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of State-owned Enterprises Rini Soemarno, Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna H. Laoly, Minister of Social Affairs Agus Gumiwang, Minister of Manpower Hanif Dhakiri, Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, Minister of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Eko Sandjojo, Minister of Education and Culture Muhadjir Effendy, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, and Head of the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP)Ardan Adiperdana, and echelon 1 officials in the Presidential Institution.(MAY/EN/AGG/OJI/ES)
Translated by: Muhardi
Edited by: Mia Medyana B.
