Paudah, secretary of the ministry's Village Government Development Directorate General, noted that the government's commitment to rural development is also apparent from the issuance of the Village Law and substantial funding support for villages.
"Such forms of support reflect the government's commitment to consistently developing Indonesia from peripheral regions, including villages, as the smallest governmental unit, as instructed by President Joko Widodo," she noted in the ministry's statement here on Thursday.
She made the statement on Wednesday (September 25) during an activity to boost the governance capacity of village officials in Cirebon, West Java.
Speaking of the P3PD, which has been rolled out since 2020, Paudah underlined that her office mentored 120,781 rural apparatuses in 31,902 villages across Indonesia last year under the program.
She highlighted that the Home Affairs Ministry had increased the program's target for 2024, its final year of implementation, eyeing to train at least 127,872 village officials in 31,872 villages.
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"In West Java Province, we are aiming to give training to 12,728 people serving as officials in 3,182 villages," she remarked.
The official explained that the P3PD serves as a means for the government to address obstacles hindering optimal development in villages, including the inadequate capacity of some rural governments to manage their budgets properly.
In this regard, Paudah spotlighted the need to augment village officials' capability of running the administration, devising village development plans, managing village treasury, and formulating local legal instruments.
"It is also important to pay equal attention to building village apparatuses' leadership, corruption prevention commitment, and ability to manage village potential through village-run enterprises that align with people's needs," she emphasized.
She then expressed belief that villages run by talented individuals could effectively harness their potential to achieve prosperity even without profound natural resources.
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Translator: Narda M, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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