TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government has set five priority development sectors, namely infrastructure, food and energy, education, health, and social protection, in the 2017 State Budget Draft.

Included in the infrastructure development plan are constructions of 815 kilometers of roads. Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said that the projects were aimed to improve connectivity.

“Connectivity will support the economic growth and narrow the gap,” Basuki said in Jakarta on Tuesday, August 16, 2016.

The government will also build 9,399 meters of bridges, 550 kilometers of railroads, and 14 new airports, as well as facilities in 55 sea ports.

In the food sector, the government has set a target to produce 77 million tons of rice, increasing by 5 tons compared to the target set in the Revised 2016 State Budget. National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said that the target would be realized by improving irrigation systems, providing fertilizer subsidies and expanding paddy fields.

“Paddy fields will be expanded by 144,613 hectares,” Bambang revealed.

In the energy sector, the government has initiated gas network developments for 64,200 households. In addition, the government will construct 128 units of renewable energy power plants and set an electrification ratio of 92.75 percent.

Developments in the education sector will be promoted through assistance programs for teachers and students. The government will provide 360,500 scholarships for university students, school operational assistances for 8.5 million students, operational assistances for 107 state universities, and Indonesia smart cards for 19.5 million students. In addition, there will be certification bonuses for 101,100 teachers and 10,200 professors.

In the health sector, the government has initiated four priority programs, namely basic immunization fund for 92 percent of children under 1-year-old, health insurance for 94.4 million people, accreditations for health community centers in 700 districts, and recruitment of 6.97 million people to join the family planning program.

In the social protection sector, the government will provide conditional cash assistances for 6 million target households. Other programs include providing food subsidies to 14.3 million households and redirect some of the subsidies to non-cash or voucher assistances.

The government has allocated Rp2,070.5 trillion (US$159.2 billion) to finance developments in the five priority sectors.

VINDRY FLORENTIN