"In a meeting with the National Economic Recovery Committee, the Transportation Ministry would get (the Rp2.05-trillion) PEN allocation for labor intensive programs in the transportation sector," Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said during a working meeting with Commission V of the House of Representatives here on Tuesday.
The move is based on President Joko Widodo's guidance that PEN funds be focused for labor intensive programs in the transportation sector that cover maintenance of infrastructure, safety device installation, construction of national roads, terminals, airports, and ports, he explained.
"The move is aimed at providing added value for the pandemic-affected people, especially in urban areas," he added.
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For 2021, the government allocated Rp45.6 trillion to the ministry. However, the Finance Ministry conducted budget refocusing and trimmed the budget allocation by Rp12.4 trillion.
The budget refocusing is aimed at improving the budgeting for the COVID-19 vaccination and other social protection programs in 2021, Sumadi explained.
He said the Finance Ministry is discussing the additional budget for the Transportation Ministry.
"We hope that the Transportation Ministry and Commission V could use the additional funds for the benefit of the people," he added.
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Translator: Adimas Raditya, Sri Haryati
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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