"It allows public control over village government administration, development efforts, and community affairs," Head of the ministry's Center for the Development of Village and Disadvantaged Regions' Competitiveness and Information, Luthfy Latief, said in the ministry's podcast monitored here on Monday.
He noted that the strengthening of public control can be seen in the supervision of village funds utilization.
Latief noted that with digitalization, the use of village funds can be displayed through villages' digital platforms or websites, thereby allowing people to monitor the use.
"Digitalization allows people to know the amount of village funds that their villages have, and what they are used for," he remarked.
To motivate villages to optimize digitalization, the ministry, through its Villages and Disadvantaged Regions' Development and Information Center, is currently holding the Digital Villages Competition.
The competition, which raises the theme of "Building Villages, Building Indonesia," is participated in by villages that have adopted digitalization in their administration, community development, and community empowerment.
According to the Head of the Villages and Disadvantaged Regions' Development and Information Center, Mulyadin Malik, the competition serves as a platform to give awards and appreciation to villages that have succeeded in developing digital innovations.
"This is expected to improve villages' participation in developing digital villages across Indonesia and serve as an instrument to measure the growth of villages that have implemented digitalization," he said.
The Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions has announced five villages as finalists of the Digital Villages Competition, namely Cibiru Wetan Village, Duda Timur Village, Kauman Village, Krandegan Village, Muaro Singoan Village, and Plasan Village.
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Translator: Tri Meilani, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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