VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has expressed hope the next round of village fund program will be able to change various village potentials into economic strength.

"Besides infrastructures, the fund could be used, for example, to develop tourism in the villages. Many city residents are looking forward to seeing how the villages look like now," he said at a meeting held to evaluate the policy on development and empowerment of rural community and familiarize the public with priority in the use of village fund 2019 at Palembang Sport and Convention Center on Sunday.

The next round of village fund program should not merely be directed towards constructing infrastructures but also developing human resources and rural potentials, he said.

The village fund should also be used to improve villagers` health by addressing malnutrition and stunting, among others, he said.

"This has to do with our human resources in the future. We must compete with other countries. We must tell the truth that if they are not groomed from now on, we will find it more difficult to compete with other countries which always improve their human resources," he said.

The president went on to say the time has come for village administrations to think of how to turn the villages` potentials into the economic strength.

in this regard, the village fund could be used to build and encourage tourism in the villages, he said. (ANTARA)