Ministry Of Finance Disburses IDR 71 Trillion Village Fund, Thomas Djiwandono: Support Community Empowerment

Illustration (Photo: Doc Antara)

Deputy Minister of Finance (Wamenkeu) II Thomas Djiwandono reported that the government will provide village funds of IDR 71 trillion this year for 75,259 villages in 434 districts/cities throughout Indonesia in poverty alleviation.

"This is to support funding for government administration, implementation of development, and empowerment and community development," he said at the Ministry of Finance's 2024 Public Information Disclosure Seminar event in Jakarta, Tuesday, August 6.

According to Thomas, village funds distributed play an important role in improving public services, alleviating poverty, empowering the community, and advancing the village economy.

Thomas said that based on poverty data from the Central Statistics Agency, urban poor people had fallen from 12.2 million people in March 2021 to 11.9 million people in September 2022.

"Meanwhile, in the same period, the poor in rural areas fell from 15.4 million people in March 2021 to 14.4 million people," he said.

Furthermore, Thomas conveyed that based on data from the Building Village Index published by the Ministry of Villages, development of underdeveloped areas and transmigration there was an increase in the number of villages with independent village status.

From the original 840 villages in 2019 it increased to 16,908 villages in 2024. Meanwhile, the number of villages lagging behind and severely lagging down has decreased. From the original 21,162 villages in 2019 it fell to 6,748 villages in 2024.

"This is one proof of the positive impact of village funds on village progress," said Thomas.

Thomas said from 2015 to 2023 that the use of the village fund budget has resulted in various achievements that support economic activities and improve the quality of life of the village community.

Thomas said that for 2024, the policy direction for using village funds is prioritized to support the handling of extreme poverty, food security programs, prevention and stunting reduction programs, as well as priority sector programs in the village according to the potential and characterization of the village itself.

"We have to protect our money through village funds and monitor it together so that its use is optimal in advancing the village economy and improving the welfare of the community," he said.

Thomas conveyed that transparency and disclosure of information in the management of village funds are the most important pillars in realizing accountable and responsible village financial management for the welfare of the community.