"We will prepare Rp4.5 trillion for all over Indonesia," Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono said here at the weekend.
Before the fund was distributed among disaster-hit areas, the government would apply a number of procedures including asking provincial, district and municipal governments to verify the extent of damage, he said.
In addition, the government would also assess the needs of affected areas, he said.
The measure would be taken to ensure that the fund would match the needs to improve damages caused by natural disasters, he said.
It was also aimed at minimizing abuse of state funds needed to mitigate the impact of natural disasters, he said.
"Stealing state money from relief aid is really the worst moral act," he said.
Therefore, he added the rehabilitation and reconstruction of public utilities including hospitals, bridges and school buildings damaged in natural disasters must go through tenders.
"Only in the emergency response period (we do not need tenders)," he said.(*)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
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