TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said that the government has managed to complete several projects and programs in 2016 following the budget cuts and adjustments. According to Sri Mulyani, the budget absorption rate of the 2016 State Budget (APBN) was 84 percent.

Sri Mulyani noted that 2,529 kilometers-long roads were either built or reconstructed in 2016. Moreover, the government developed three new airports, 37 new dams, drainage system in 850 hectares of land, 10.6 km of new bridges, 33 km of new rail tracks and 1.11 million low-cost flats (rusun) and special houses (rusus).

According to Sri Mulyani, budget absorption rate in food sector also stood at 84 percent. “The outputs were 3.7 million hectares of paddy, corn and soybean fields as well as 4,500 breeder cattle. The Agriculture Minister also procured 148,800 units of agricultural equipment,” he said in Jakarta on Tuesday evening on March 14, 2017.

Sri Mulyani said education budget was absorbed 89 percent. The budget helped the government to pay student benefit program called Indonesia Smart Card (KIP), provide scholarships to 324,000 students, assist 8 million students via School Operation Assistance Program (BOS), and provide benefit to 823,000 teachers. “Some 28,400 new classrooms were built as well,” she noted.

In the field of health, Sri Mulyani said that the budget was used to develop Indonesia Health Card (KIS) program which serves 91.1 million beneficiaries. "We have also eliminated malaria in 247 regencies and cities, conducted immunization programs in 80.7 percent of regencies and cities as well as provided complete basic immunization on 4 million infants," Sri Mulyani stated.

Meanwhile, the absorption rate of social assistance funds (bansos) was recorded at 20.9 percent. The funds were distributed to 5.29 million head-of-household under the Family Hope Program (PKH). "It reflects the government’s commitment to exhaust the APBN in order to accelerate development," Sri Mulyani added.

ANGELINA ANJAR SAWITRI