Infectious PEN Funds Lower Drastics, Signs Of A Pandemic Has After?

JAKARTA - The government is known to continue to optimize programs and use the COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery (PC PEN) budget in the third year of the pandemic.

Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani explained that the realization of the 2022 PEN funds until September 16 was IDR 214.9 trillion.

"This amount is equivalent to 47.2 percent of the budget ceiling provided by the government, which is IDR 214.9 trillion," he said when holding a press conference on our State Budget, Monday, September 27.

In detail, the Minister of Finance explained that the use of the budget was used for the health sector of Rp38.4 trillion, public protection (including social assistance) of Rp100 trillion, strengthening economic recovery of Rp76.4 trillion.

"This year's PC-PEN allocation consists of health care of Rp122.54 trillion, public protection of Rp154.76 trillion, and strengthening economic recovery of Rp178.3 trillion," he said.

In the editorial notes, the budget allocation and absorption of PC PEN 2022 are the lowest of the previous two PEN PCs. In PC PEN 2020, the government provides a ceiling of IDR 695.2 trillion with an absorption of IDR 579.7 trillion.

Meanwhile, for the 2021 period, a budget of IDR 699.4 trillion was prepared, which was later increased to IDR 744.7 due to the spread of the delta variant at that time. Meanwhile, last year's PC PEN absorption was 658.6 trillion.

In the midst of the risk of escalated global uncertainty, the role of the State Budget as a carbon shock needs to be maintained so that it functions optimally. For this reason, the PEN PC program is designed to be responsive and anticipatory," closed the Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani.