This funding comes from President Prabowo Subianto specifically for forest and land fire mitigation and must therefore be used for that purpose,
Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Prabowo Subianto has disbursed Rp200 billion (approximately US$11 million) in presidential assistance to support efforts to tackle forest and land fires in South Sumatra, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said.
According to Antoni, the funds were distributed in two phases directly to the provincial government and several district and city administrations.
“The first phase has been disbursed. This assistance is based on the emergency status,” he said in a statement on Monday.
In the first phase, Rp100 billion (approximately US$5.5 million) was allocated to the South Sumatra provincial government and four districts: Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI), Musi Banyuasin, Banyuasin, and Ogan Ilir.
A further Rp100 billion was distributed in the second phase to 10 additional districts and cities.
The 10 recipients were East Ogan Komering Ulu, Ogan Komering Ulu, Muara Enim, Penukal Abab Lematang Ilir (PALI), Palembang, South Ogan Komering Ulu, Musi Rawas, Empat Lawang, Prabumulih, and Lahat.
Antoni said the assistance was allocated in response to the emergency status of forest and land fire management in the region.
He urged local governments to ensure that the funds were used transparently and accountably, with spending directly supporting firefighting and mitigation efforts.
“Please ensure the funds are used transparently and accountably. This funding comes from President Prabowo Subianto specifically for forest and land fire mitigation and must therefore be used for that purpose,” he said.
Antoni stressed that the presidential assistance supplements existing funding from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the Ministry of Forestry’s budget for weather modification operations and water-bombing missions, as well as regional government budgets (APBD).
“The central and regional governments are expected to continue working together to optimize these resources and strengthen forest and land fire management in South Sumatra,” he added.
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Translator: Arnidhya Nur Z, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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