Ministry of Home Affairs Ensures Presidential Aid for NTT Earthquake to be Utilised Immediately
The Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) continues to ensure that Presidential Aid for areas affected by earthquakes in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) can be used immediately and its benefits felt by the community. This step aligns with the directives of the Minister of Home Affairs, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, to accelerate the realisation of aid, including for residents in remote villages.
“Additional BTT (Unforeseen Expenditure) funds must be used quickly for the people, especially in remote villages that are difficult to reach. They must not just be held! The key is speed for the people in need,” Tito stated in a written statement on Monday (31/8/2026).
In line with these instructions, the Acting Inspector General of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Bachril Bakri, stated that the Ministry has emphasised to local governments that they must immediately utilise the Presidential Aid.
Supervision is being conducted through five integrated teams from the Inspectorate General and the Directorate General of Regional Financial Management, which are continuously monitoring the progress of aid usage, particularly to ensure it reaches people in remote areas.
“The purpose of monitoring and assistance is to encourage the accelerated use of Presidential Aid, which is allocated as additional Unforeseen Expenditure prioritised for disaster impact management,” said Bachril.
According to him, this supervision also serves to ensure that budget usage is accountable and to prevent potential misappropriation. Thus, the aid can be immediately utilised to address the needs of affected communities and not remain stagnant in regional treasuries.
Based on the results of the assistance, the NTT Provincial Government and eight recipient regency governments have established Regional Head Regulations regarding the breakdown of the Regional Budget (APBD) and have allocated the aid to Unforeseen Expenditure (BTT).
With this additional budget, the total BTT for disaster impact mitigation in NTT Province and eight regencies has reached Rp299,539,626,183. This figure represents an increase of Rp213,720,316,025 from the previous budget of Rp85,819,310,158.
The additional budget consists of Presidential Aid amounting to Rp200 billion, as well as aid from other local governments amounting to Rp13,720,316,025.
Bachril stated that the Presidential Aid is currently being used based on the Cost Requirement Plans (RKB) submitted by relevant regional agencies through the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) in each area.
He added that the Ministry of Home Affairs teams have also provided several directives to local governments to accelerate disaster impact management. These directives include accelerating the distribution of logistics from accumulation points to affected communities, consolidating single data on victims, refugees, and damage, as well as accelerating the use of Presidential Aid while maintaining accountability.
“Furthermore, affected regions are also encouraged to ensure the continuity of health and education services, and to accelerate the preparation of post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction plans,” said Bachril.
Bachril ensured that the Ministry of Home Affairs assistance teams will continue to encourage local governments to optimise assistance and supervision through Regional Inspectorates. These efforts are being undertaken to ensure that the accelerated use of BTT is well-targeted, accountable, and in accordance with regulations.