The funds have been disbursed to 74,890 villages or 99.91 percent (of the total targeted villages).
Jakarta (ANTARA) - A total of Rp51.435 trillion, or equivalent to 71.44 percent of the total Village Funds of Rp72 trillion have been disbursed as of Wednesday, Villages, Disadvantaged Regions Development, and Transmigration Minister, Abdul Halim Iskandar, has informed.

"The funds have been disbursed to 74,890 villages or 99.91 percent (of the total targeted villages)," he said here on Wednesday.

Providing further details, he said the funds have been channeled to the COVID-19 Safe Village Fund (Rp4.121 trillion), Village Fund Cash Transfer program (Rp15.428 trillion), Village Cash Labour Intensive Work (PKTD) (Rp4.247 trillion), and non-PKTD village development activities (Rp27.639 trillion).

Meanwhile, some 44,520 villages have completed the village Sustainable Development Goals-based data collection process.

"The data was collected by 1,575,944 volunteers using village funds of Rp1,572 trillion," the minister said

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Regarding the handling of extreme poverty in the villages, he said there are five points of action: reducing people’s expenses, increasing community income, regional development, village assistance, as well as institutional strengthening.

The first point of action has been implemented through house renovations, conducting health checks at integrated health services posts, and disbursing scholarships, he noted.

PKTD, Village Fund Cash Transfer program, strengthening of village-owned enterprises, as well as empowerment programs are aimed at increasing the people’s income, he said.

Furthermore, under the regional development program, sanitation, as well as transportation facilities and infrastructure, are being improved, he added.

Under the fourth point of action, assistance has been provided in implementing the Village Government Work Plan and village budget for handling extreme poverty, in accordance with the National Mid-term Development Plan 2020-2024, Iskandar said.

Meanwhile, institutional strengthening is being conducted through the integration of basic social services at integrated health services posts.

Furthermore, Iskandar said that extreme poverty can be handled by directly consolidating villages, which are the object of the program.

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Translator: Sigit Pinardi, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
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