"It (budget allocation for disaster handling) is secure because there is a standby fund at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), so there are no issues," Minister Pratikno said after taking part in the Free Health Check-Up program here on Thursday.
He made the statement in response to concerns regarding the weather management service offered by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) and BNPB, which have faced budget cuts.
He emphasized that all budgets related to public services are secure. "Basically, anything related to public services is safe," he said.
He also dismissed rumors that the scholarship budget of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology is being cut.
"Anything related to public service is safe, that is the policy," he reiterated.
Earlier, Presidential Communication Office (PCO) head Hasan Nasbi also dismissed speculation that the BMKG budget this year has shrunk by 50 percent due to the efficiency policy, which sparked concerns about the accuracy of weather information and earthquake detection tools.
Nasbi made the statement to address the potential impact of budget efficiency on BMKG in the wake of President Prabowo Subianto's Instruction Number 1 of 2025 and the Minister of Finance's Letter Number S-37/MK.02/2025 concerning state budget efficiency.
"It is not true that the BMKG budget was cut by 50 percent. Please check back with BMKG for the latest data," he said on Wednesday.
He explained that budget efficiency is being implemented to reduce state burden, in line with President Prabowo's directive, which emphasizes that the state budget should be focused on the interests of the people.
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Translator: Lintang, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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