Jakarta (ANTARA) - Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry expects the corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund to directly fulfill public needs, such as for electricity, for people unable to afford them, especially in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas.

The ministry's official, Ego Syahrial, stated during the TOP CSR Awards 2023 here on Wednesday that the electrification ratio currently stood at 99.63 percent.

This indicates that 0.37 percent, or around one million members of the population, especially in 3T areas, do not have access to electricity, Syahrial noted through his statement on Thursday.

This improvement in the form of gaining electricity access can be brought about through the development of new small-scale energy power plants that utilize the local potential, such as solar power, hydropower, and biomass.

This program should be implemented specifically in regions that are hard to reach by state-owned power company PT PLN (Persero).

In addition to the energy sector, the companies' CSR fund can be channeled to support and facilitate other areas, such as economic independence and health and public empowerment program, Syahrial explained.

"This CSR is expected to be able to encourage the independence of the local economy through various programs, such as guidance and assistance to MSMEs' (micro, small and medium enterprises') activities," he said.

MSMEs can be strengthened through business capital, facility and infrastructure, technological equipment, and marketing digitalization aids to open broader market access.

In the health sector, CSR fund can contribute in creating intelligent and healthy successors, he remarked.

The TOP CSR Awards is the highest award event for companies in Indonesia, with the main criteria being the success in implementing CSR programs through the creating shared value (CSV) approach.

In 2023, the annual event held since 2017 raised the theme of "CSR Innovation Programs for Sustainable Business Growth."

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Translator: Kelik Dewanto, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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