School Renovation Is Prabowo's Priority Program, Minister Basuki: The Budget Is IDR 20 Trillion In 2025

JAKARTA - Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono said there was a budget allocation of IDR 20 trillion to renovate schools throughout Indonesia by 2025.

The budget allocation is one of the priority programs of the President and Vice President Elect Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

"Earlier, it was also said that from Banggar (budget Agency), there will be a school renovation of Rp. 20 trillion allocated at the Ministry of PUPR," Basuki told reporters, quoted on Tuesday, September 10.

Basuki said that at least 4 priority programs for the Elected President would be handled directly by the Ministry of PUPR.

In addition to school renovations, the budget will also be disbursed for food security, free nutritious food programs, and building 3 million houses.

He detailed, for food security itself, the Ministry of PUPR will be asked to allocate around Rp. 7.5 trillion which will be used for the supply of raw water to the construction of irrigation flows to rain fields.

As for the free nutritious dining program and the construction program of 3 million houses, Basuki has not mentioned the budget plan to be allocated.

"There are four priority programs from the Elected President (Prabowo), namely free nutritious food, food security, houses and school renovations. Food security (budget needs) of Rp. 15 trillion, around Rp. 7.5 trillion to the Ministry of PUPR, and Rp. 7.5 to Agriculture. If the school renovation is Rp. 20 trillion, it will be allocated," he said.

For your information, the Ministry of PUPR will receive a budget of around IDR 75.63 trillion in 2025.

This indicative ceiling decreased drastically when compared to the Ministry of PUPR budget ceiling in 2024 of IDR 146.98 trillion.

According to Basuki, the reduction in the budget ceiling is a common thing during the transitional period of government.

Considering, he said, the Ministry of PUPR budget ceiling in 2014 or the first year of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) served as only Rp75 trillion.

Basuki said that the decline in the ministry's budget ceiling during the transitional government was deliberately carried out by the government to provide wider fiscal space for the elected president and vice president to start running their priority programs.

"That's exactly what it was like when Pak Jokowi entered the 2014 government. I, right, opened the file, it was IDR 75 trillion. So, that's what gave the elected president fiscal space to allocate," said Basuki, Tuesday, August 20.