Government and DPR approve additional budget for ASDP and Pelni pioneer ferry services

The government and the DPR have agreed to increase the budget for PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Persero), or Pelni, and PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) to meet the needs of pioneer ferry services. Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi explained that the agreement, reached during a meeting between government representatives and DPR leaders at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Monday, aims to support smooth transportation in the regions. “What was conveyed earlier was a requirement of approximately Rp139 billion for ASDP and around Rp70 billion for Pelni. We immediately gave joint approval for these two matters,” he said after the meeting. In addition, the meeting also approved an alternative funding scheme for Perum DAMRI. A budget increase request was also submitted by the Ministry of Transportation, amounting to between Rp2.3 trillion and Rp2.4 trillion. However, this proposal will be further detailed by the Ministry of Transportation and the Directorate General of Budget at the Ministry of Finance. The government was represented at the meeting by Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi, Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, and Chief Operating Officer of BPI Danantara Dony Oskaria. The parliament was represented by Deputy Speaker of the DPR Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and representatives from Commission V, which oversees infrastructure and regional transportation affairs.