Home Affairs Minister: Estimated Disaster Rehabilitation in Sumatra Rp130 Trillion

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian stated that the estimated budget needs for rehabilitation and reconstruction following the disaster in Sumatra amount to Rp130 trillion for a three-year period. “If for the budget for future rehabilitation and reconstruction over three years, I conveyed that it is estimated at Rp130 trillion, for 3 years,” said Tito at the Bina Graha Building of the Presidential Staff Office, Jakarta, on Wednesday. The budget will be allocated to various physical development sectors impacted by the disaster, ranging from housing, infrastructure, schools, places of worship, economic centres, to agriculture. Tito detailed that the Ministry of Public Works has proposed needs of around Rp70 trillion for permanent infrastructure repairs. The fund allocation includes rebuilding bridges, roads, public facilities, and handling damaged rivers. If divided over three years, the average annual budget absorption would be around Rp20 trillion specifically for the public works sector. In addition to road infrastructure, the education sector is also a priority with proposals for repairs to more than 4,000 damaged school units. The Ministry of Religious Affairs has also proposed a budget for rehabilitating places of worship and Islamic boarding schools in affected areas. The government is also focusing on residents’ productive sectors through a proposed budget of around Rp3 trillion from the Ministry of Agriculture for rice field repairs. The marine and fisheries sector, as well as repairs to traditional markets, are also included in the budget plans. All proposals from ministries, agencies, and district and city governments will be integrated by Bappenas into a Master Plan. This document is targeted to be completed no later than 1 April as a requirement for fund disbursement from the Ministry of Finance for the reconstruction and rehabilitation process. Tito emphasised that the Master Plan must be prepared in detail to avoid budget overlaps between agencies. The Minister of Finance will only fund programmes that are officially included in the planning document. Therefore, the Home Affairs Minister urged disaster-affected local governments to promptly provide data on residents who will receive permanent housing assistance according to the established criteria.