Minister Ara Targets 400,000 Home Renovations This Year

The government has drastically increased the target for the home renovation programme. The Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas (PKP) is aiming to renovate up to 400,000 uninhabitable homes this year, a significant rise from the 45,000 units renovated last year. This increase means the workload for the ministry has multiplied many times over. The programme targets people living in uninhabitable homes who need repairs to improve their living conditions.

Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas Maruarar Sirait, known as Ara, said the increased target is one of the ministry’s biggest challenges. Amidst the still enormous needs of the community, the government must accelerate programme implementation across various regions. "We still have many shortcomings. There are still many Indonesians who do not have a home. There are still millions of Indonesians who do not have a home. There are still millions of Indonesians whose homes need repairing. So our homework is still enormous," Maruarar said in Jakarta on Thursday (13/8/2026).

Maruarar then compared the previous year’s achievements with the current target. The change shows the massive increase in workload that PKP Ministry staff must handle. "I said in front of President Prabowo, last year the Housing Ministry renovated 45,000 uninhabitable homes. This year, 400,000 homes," Maruarar stated.

The increased target not only requires a larger budget. Field implementation also demands readiness from the apparatus, coordination with local governments, and the ability to complete the work in a much shorter timeframe. Maruarar described the heavy workload, noting the condition of his ministry’s staff. He mentioned that a director general had just been discharged after three weeks in hospital. "Imagine, last year 45,000 homes, this year 400,000 homes," he said.

The minister stressed that this work requires commitment from ministry staff, as the surge in targets is not accompanied by changes in their welfare. "Salaries don’t go up, there are no bonuses. But for the Republic of Indonesia and the people, they work hard," Maruarar concluded.