"The consequence is that village funds' management must be much better," he said at the Training of Trainers Increasing Village Activists' Participation in Village Residents' Development and Empowerment in Semarang, as stated in a written statement here on Sunday.
Iskandar noted that with bigger village funds, the physical development of villages will be able to be completed faster.
According to him, after the infrastructure construction is completed, it is important to pay attention to maintenance, which also requires the active participation of the local community.
For this reason, village assistants are expected to serve as a bridge between the village head and the community so that both parties take responsibility for village development.
"Thus, I added the task of village assistants to carry out village development dissemination of information and consolidation to the community with the target of increasing the participation of the community to make them feel more included in the village development process," the minister remarked.
He stressed that the increase in village funds would also apply to villages that have self-sufficient village status, even though their infrastructure is more advanced.
This is because village development is not merely about infrastructure but is also related to the resolution of issues that become more complex and abstract.
"There are many questions: if the village is self-sufficient, then is the village development task completed? The answer is no; in fact, it is getting more complex and abstract," he said.
Related news: Ministry urges village-run enterprises to obtain legal status
Related news: Village Funds as instrument to develop villages' human resources
Related news: Govt helps 6,238 villages become independent: ministry
Translator: Anita Permata, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
