We must take advantage of the demographic bonus and be ready for technological disruption.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The 2023 state budget draft (RAPBN) outlines state expenditure of Rp3,041.7 trillion (US$205.5 billion), which will be used to expedite health, human resource, and infrastructure development, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has informed.
"It includes central government spending of Rp2,230.0 trillion (US$150.67 billion) and regional fund transfers of Rp811.7 trillion (US$54.84 billion)," he said in his speech on the RAPBN for the 2023 fiscal year and financial notes.
He delivered the speech at the plenary meeting of the Indonesian House of Representatives for the 2022–2023 sitting period at the Parliamentary Complex here on Tuesday.
The health sector will get about 5.6 percent, or Rp169.8 trillion (US$11.57 billion), of the total spending allocation of the 2023 RAPBN, he said.
The budget will be used to continue efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, reform the health system, accelerate stunting reduction, and implement the National Health Insurance (JKN) program.
Furthermore, the expenditure budget will be utilized to continue the implementation of the social protection program to help the poor and vulnerable people meet their basic needs as well as to reduce the poverty rate.
A budget allocation of Rp479.1 trillion (US$32.37 billion) has been made for the social protection program.
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The President said that the social protection program will be reformed by improving the beneficiary database through the development of socio-economic registration (Regsosek).
The government will also focus on advancing Indonesia's human resources with an education budget of Rp608.3 trillion (US$41.1 billion), he added.
"We must take advantage of the demographic bonus and be ready for technological disruption. We must prepare productive, innovative, and globally competitive human resources who comply with the values of Pancasila (Indonesia’s national principles), have a noble character, and maintain the nation's cultural identity," he remarked.
Thus, the government will improve access for all education levels, realize uniform education quality across Indonesia, bolster the link-and-match process between the educational sector and the job market, as well as enhance the quality of educational infrastructure, especially in the outermost, underdeveloped, and frontier (3T) areas, he added.
Meanwhile, regarding infrastructure development in 2023, the government has allocated Rp392 trillion (US$26.4 billion) for establishing basic services; increasing people’s productivity through the establishment of connectivity and mobility infrastructure; providing affordable, reliable, and eco-friendly energy and food infrastructure; as well as bolstering equitable distribution of information and communication technology infrastructure and access.
The state and non-state budget funding schemes will be carried out for infrastructure development to accelerate the realization of the development targets, he said.
Hence, the government is striving to increase the role of the private sector in infrastructure development through investment and the public-private partnership funding scheme.
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Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
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