Govt to make list of all underdeveloped villages in 2008

Samarinda, E Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - The government would make a list of all underdeveloped villages in 2008 and increase fund allocated for the Self-Contained People Empowerment Program (PNPM) that was made to develop the underdeveloped villages, State Minister for Underdeveloped Regional Development Muhammad Lukman Edy said.

"The government would therefore increase amount of the fund to Rp30 trillion in 2008 from Rp9 trillion spent for the program in 2007. It hopes that PNPM scheme can be implemented in about 50,000 villages next year," he said after attending a seminar which was held on the sidelines of the Nusantara Islands Youth Festival here on Friday.

Lukman said 35,000 out of 73,000 underdeveloped villages in Indonesia were found in the eastern part of the country.

"Seventy percent of the underdeveloped villages don't have basic infrastructure. The people life in isolated places which don't have electricity, clean water and irrigation either," he said.

The implementation of PNPM has involved local people's role in the building of village starting from making a plan to a phase after the finishing of the building of the village, he said.

The people were allowed to decide what they would do with the fund amounting to Rp250 million earmarked for the developing of their village, he said.

The program has covered about 15,000 villages in 2007