By The distribution is aimed at boosting the purchasing power of poor residents in villages, so they can afford basic necessities
Sorong, Southwest Papua (ANTARA) – The Finance Ministry is pushing for the realization of Village Funds to reduce the poverty rate in Southwest Papua Province by prioritizing the distribution of direct cash assistance (BLT) to villages.
The ministry’s Director General of Financial Balances, Adriyanto, in Sorong on Thursday, elaborated on the priorities for using Village Fund to recover the national economy according to the village authority through poverty alleviation and establishment, development, and capacity building of village-owned enterprises management.
A sound level of management of such enterprises is of the essence in the efforts to realize even village economic growth as well as productive business development, he remarked.
“This year, the government prioritizes using the Village Fund for implementing a social protection program in the form of village BLT, with the objective of realizing poverty-free villages,” Adriyanto stated.
Adriyanto made the statement online during a workshop on evaluation of financial management and village development in Southwest Papua Province organized by the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP).
In his speech, Adriyanto also affirmed that the BLT program constitutes a crucial instrument in the government’s efforts to alleviate poverty and eliminate extreme poverty in villages.
The village BLT program is financed by the Village Fund and targets poor and underprivileged families in villages.
In the 2023 fiscal year, the distribution of village BLT in Southwest Papua had reached 99.89 percent, covering 938 villages, with the budget allocation totaling Rp174 billion (US$11.6 million) and realization of Rp32.5 billion (US$2.1 million).
“The distribution is aimed at boosting the purchasing power of poor residents in villages, so they can afford basic necessities,” he pointed out.
The percentage of poor residents in Southwest Papua based on districts as of 2022 can be detailed as follows: 17.32 percent in Raja Ampat District, 18.48 percent in South Sorong District, 27.58 percent in Sorong District, 31.14 percent in Maybrat District, and 32.45 percent in Tambrauw District.
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