Jakarta – The Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration (Kemendes PDTT) has announced that the release of BLT Dana Desa (unconditional village fund cash transfers) for the fiscal year 2022 will be accelerated.
The quicker disbursement will be more effective in alleviating the burden on poor and vulnerable families in villages, said Abdul Halim Iskandar, Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, in a statement issued here on Friday.
“In accordance with the President’s (Joko Widodo) directive, we will speed the payout of the BLT Dana Desa,” the minister remarked.
According to him, as of February 17, 2022, the BLT Dana Desa disbursement has reached Rp354 billion, or 9.62 percent of the total projected release.
According to him, the accelerated release of BLT Dana Desa is meant to boost support in completing rural budgets.
According to him, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (Kemenko PMK) plans to finish distributing social assistance (bansos) in the last two weeks of February 2022.
“The Ministries of Social Affairs, Kemendes PDTT, and Education and Culture must urgently accelerate the distribution of 2022 social assistance in the last two weeks of February,” stated Muhadjir Effendy, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.
He asked all parties to be dedicated to ensuring the acceleration of social aid distribution. He stated that data, administrative processes, and regulatory changes must be finished by the first week of February 2022.
The use of village finances has helped reduce poverty and unemployment in villages during the epidemic, according to a researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency’s (BRIN) Economic Research Center.
“Because of the money, the poverty and unemployment rates in villages are lower than in cities,” Pihri Buhaerah confirmed.
He emphasized that the monies have been shown to be highly successful in reducing poverty and joblessness in villages. According to him, the total village grants disbursed between 2015 and 2021 have reached Rp400.1 trillion.
According to him, the number of communities getting money in 2016 was 82,395 in total. He then noted that the figure had risen to 83,381 settlements.
Source: Antara