"Since 2021, the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration has started to implement Village SDGs as a direction for the village development policy. Achieving the Village SDGs goals requires synergy and collaboration," Iskandar noted during the commemoration of the Regional Development Acceleration in Bondowoso, East Java, which was followed online on Thursday.
According to the minister, Village SDGs make the direction of village development clearer, facilitate the implementation of development, and make it easier to measure the benefits and impacts of development.
Iskandar affirmed that his ministry is preparing village system information to facilitate regional heads in monitoring village development.
"Inshallah (if God wills), by the end of this year or at the latest early 2023, district heads, regional heads can monitor the conditions of their respective villages in more detail through village system information whose dashboard has reached the finalization phase," he explained.
The minister further noted that villages could update data in real time, thereby making it easier for the government to validate data.
The information system would be able to show regions with the highest poverty rate, according to Iskandar.
On the occasion, he noted that Presidential Regulation Number 63 of 2020 on the Determination of Disadvantaged Regions for 2020-2024 stipulates that 62 disadvantaged regions are spread across 11 provinces.
Iskandar admitted that alleviating 62 disadvantaged regions is not easy while emphasizing that the commitment of all stakeholders and collaboration between ministries and institutions was deemed necessary.
The minister assessed that villages have an essential and significant role to play in the alleviation of disadvantaged regions. To this end, villages must be at the forefront of development, especially in disadvantaged regions.
"In short, the better the use of Village Funds is, the faster the status of the village will rise. This is a broad road for districts to be free from the disadvantaged region status," he remarked.
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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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