National Library Halts Book Distribution Programme Due to Budget Cuts

The National Library of Indonesia (Perpusnas) has raised concerns over the impact of budget cuts on national literacy efforts during a hearing with House of Representatives Commission X. Head of Perpusnas Aminudin Aziz stated that the budget reduction has forced the institution to halt its book distribution programme to communities and correctional facilities. “This year we cannot carry it out because there is no money,” Aziz said during the working meeting on Thursday, 16 July 2026. He explained that during the 2024-2025 period, Perpusnas had initiated a programme to send books to rural areas, community reading centres, prisons, and public health centres, targeting 1,000 books per location. The programme received a positive response from the public, but due to budget constraints, it cannot be implemented in 2026. “It is true that the drastic budget reduction has disrupted literacy work,” Aziz remarked. In 2025, Perpusnas had a budget ceiling of Rp 583.2 billion, which has been reduced to Rp 377.9 billion in 2026. The budget cutting policy was introduced by the Prabowo Subianto administration in 2025 and formalised in 2026 through Finance Minister Regulation Number 56 of 2025 on the procedures for implementing spending efficiency in the state budget.