"Utilize village funds for people's welfare. I believe that if every village head has that mindset, there will be no room for misappropriation (of funds)," he said after opening the 25th Nusantara Appropriate Technology Exhibition in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), on Monday.
He made the statement in response to a question from the media regarding the efforts made by the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration to prevent the misappropriation of village funds by village heads.
He stressed that the task of village heads is to improve people's welfare. Village heads must be serious in carrying out this task, he added.
"If the task is truly esteemed by them, then there can be no such thing as misappropriation of village funds," he said.
Earlier, the minister informed that starting this year, village funds will be prioritized for providing capital to village-owned enterprises (BUMDes).
"This means that in the 2024 budget year, the mandate of prioritizing utilizing village funds for the capital of BUMDes, namely BUMDes, Joint BUMDes, and Joint BUMDes of Regional Financial Institutions, must be carried out," he said.
This, he added, will take effect after BUMDes are regulated by Article 14 of Law Number 19 of 2023 concerning the 2024 State Budget.
He further said that the policy is in line with the revision of the Village Law, specifically Article 72A of Law Number 3 of 2024 concerning Villages.
Minister Iskandar added that the regulation emphasizes that village income must be prioritized for educating the community, creating jobs, improving the economy, and increasing welfare.
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Translator: Tri Meilani, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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