VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

 President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Jokowi) emphasized that four areas will be prioritized in the 2021 State Budget (APBN).

"First is handling health. In terms of handling COVID-19, the main focus will be on vaccination," President Jokowi noted at the State Palace in Jakarta, Wednesday.

President Jokowi made the statement during the submission of the Budget Implementation List (DIPA) and the 2021 Transfer to Regions and Village Fund Allocation List to ministers, heads of institutions, and regional heads.

The handover was witnessed directly by Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, ministers of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet, and Chairman of the House of Representatives Puan Maharani, while the heads of institutions and regional heads partook in the event through videoconference.

"Hence, a budget related to strengthening health infrastructure, such as laboratories, and research and development, is direly needed," the president reiterated.

The second area of focus pertains to social protection, particularly for the less fortunate and vulnerable groups.

"Third, the economic recovery program, especially support for MSMEs and the business world," the president noted.

The fourth focus area is to build a stronger foundation by conducting structural reforms in health, education, social protection, and other fields.

"In the 2021 APBN, the government allocates Rp2,750 trillion in expenditure, an increase of 0.4 percent as compared to the expenditure allocation in the 2020 APBN," the president added.

The allocation comprises Rp1,032 trillion for ministerial and institutional expenditures and regional transfers and village funds reaching Rp795.5 trillion.

"Of course, we will use this expenditure allocation to support economic recovery and restore development priorities in various fields," the president remarked.

Furthermore, the allocation for health sector expenditures reaches Rp169.7 trillion, while Rp550 trillion for the education sector, Rp417.17 trillion for infrastructure development, Rp408.8 trillion for social protection, Rp99 trillion for food security, and Rp26 trillion for the development of information technology.

"When the economy is still sluggish, government spending is the main driving force of our economy. Hence, the 2021 State Budget must be spent immediately to drive our economy," the head of state affirmed.

President Jokowi urged all ministers, institutional leaders, and regional heads to not delay spending their budget.

"This is especially applicable for those with large budgets, such as the Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, Ministry of Transportation, and Ministry of Agriculture. The regions will also conduct auctions as early as possible in this December," the president stated.

The objective is to help the Indonesian economy return to growth in the first quarter of 2021.

"This means that in January 2021, a movement occurred since the auction was held as the DIPA was submitted, in addition to social assistance in early January 2021 that must also be immediately provided to beneficiaries in the community, so that public spending increases and also consumption in a bid to move the economy at the lower levels," the president remarked. (Antaranews)