All of these are great achievements.
Pontianak, W Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration (PDTT) Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar commended the Provincial Government of West Kalimantan for being the biggest contributor to the achievements of the Independent Village Program.

"To date, out of a total of 74,941 villages across Indonesia, we have established 6,238 Independent Villages, and the largest contributor is West Kalimantan," he noted at Kubu Raya District, West Kalimantan Province, on Wednesday.

According to the 2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) target, the government aims to build five thousand independent villages.

"The jump (of the total number of Independent Villages) is extraordinary. In 2022, we have exceeded the RPJMN target on the Village Development Index, with the independent village status by 1,238 villages,” the minister remarked.

He noted that Governor of West Kalimantan Sutarmidji had earlier told him that there was only one independent village in the province at the start of his office period.

“Now, I am surprised that there have been 586 Independent Villages (in West Kalimantan)," Iskandar remarked.

On the same occasion, Sutarmidji noted that out of 74,941 villages in Indonesia, one of the independent villages in West Kalimantan Province was ranked 17th in the Village Development Index.

"It is extraordinary, as Sekura Village in Sambas District has an almost perfect score (on the index),” he noted.

Sutarmidji remarked that another village in Sambas District had become a digital champion. Furthermore, other villages were named constitutional and anti-corruption villages.

“All of these are great achievements," the governor remarked.

He confirmed that currently, there were no very underdeveloped villages in the province.

"At the beginning of my term as the governor of West Kalimantan, there were more than six hundred very underdeveloped villages as well as nine hundred underdeveloped villages. Now, there are only 94 (villages)," he remarked.

Sutarmidji said that the extraordinary achievement was the result of the joint commitment of the Village and PDTT Ministry as well as related stakeholders.

"In my opinion, this is one of the most successful synergized works from the Villages and PDTT Ministry, but it is rarely exposed," he added.

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Translator: Rendra O, Sucia L, Uyu L
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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