Mendes PDTT Claims Independent Villages In 2022 Are Increased To 6,238 Villages

Independent village progress data/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration (Mendes PDTT) Abdul Halim Iskandar said the number of villages with independent status in 2022 increased to 6,238 villages.

"Independent villages increased by 6,064 villages from 174 villages in 2015 to 6,238 villages, a sharp increase," he said at a press conference that was attended online in Jakarta, Tuesday, July 12.

According to him, the increase in the number of independent villages was in line with the Village Fund policy in 2015 so that the village government could use it to finance governance, development, and empowerment of rural communities.

In addition, he continued, there were 122 villages that had jumped from being very underdeveloped to being independent. The most jumps were in villages in West Kalimantan, namely 67 villages.

The jump in the number of villages becoming independent also occurred in East Kalimantan (15 villages), Riau (12), Jambi (6), and Lampung (6), East Java, and South Kalimantan each with three villages, West Java, Maluku, North Sulawesi each. two villages each, Aceh, Bali, Bengkulu, and Central Kalimantan one village each.

"This is proof that development in villages with the Village Fund is really not Java-centric as the President (Joko Widodo) has always hoped to develop the Nusantara in a sustainable and integrated manner," he said.

On that occasion, he also said that the status of village development according to the Village Building Index (IDM) is one of the basis for determining the number of Village Funds in a village.

"Independent villages accelerated the distribution of Village Funds in only two terms, namely 60 percent and 40 percent so that village development was carried out even faster," he said.

He added that independent villages whose Village Original Income (PADes) increased received additional performance funds of around IDR 40 million.

"A total of 24 governors and 407 regents/mayors use IDM as a measure of achieving the vision and mission of village independence," he said.