Surakarta, Central Java (ANTARA) - The Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) has helped save hundreds of trillions of rupiahs in government funds at the national and regional levels in the past three years, according to BPKP Head Muhammad Yusuf Ateh.

The BPKP contributed to saving Rp61.62 trillion (US$4.13 billion) in government funds in 2020, Rp54.32 trillion (US$3.64 billion) in 2021, and Rp107.83 trillion (US$7.24 billion) in 2022, he expounded at the "BPKP Goes to UNS Campus" event here on Wednesday.

"Those numbers come from rescuing, saving, and optimizing financial expenditure potentials of the central and regional authorities," the agency head stated.

He highlighted that President Joko Widodo's decision to expand the scope of BPKP's monitoring also played a part in increasing budget savings.

"We have greater authority to monitor national strategic projects. God Willing, we will continue monitoring the disbursement of national strategic projects, while non-strategic projects are under the responsibility of the inspectorate general," the agency head said.

Besides national strategic projects, BPKP also oversees the financial management of ongoing developments in regions, for instance, the development of a new building in Surakarta's Sebelas Maret University (UNS), he informed.

"BPKP has been tasked to ensure that national development takes place accountably and to secure the government's and the region's finances and assets," the agency head said.

Ateh also invited more universities, including UNS, to collaborate with his agency for mutual benefit and to bridge the gap between theories taught to university students and actual practice.

"Our agency has many places (where students) can practice, especially as (UNS) also has an accounting study program. We can share our expertise; we also need scientific inputs because science is always evolving," he said.

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Translator: Aris Wasita, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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