Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the National Development Planning Agency Suharso Monoarfa, on Wednesday, informed that starting this year, the government is planning to prioritize the welfare approach to accelerate the development program in Papua."Earlier, we discussed plans to accelerate development in Papua. We will implement a welfare approach there," he said after attending a limited meeting with Vice President Ma'ruf Amin at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta.
At the meeting, Monoarfa submitted a report on the certainty of budget allocations for welfare programs in Papua. The report was submitted in view of Amin's plan to visit Papua in the near future in his capacity as the chairperson in charge of the program's implementation.
"So, I reported that we will start this year and the Vice President will immediately go to Papua since he is the chairman of this implementation," Monoarfa explained.
He said that the welfare approach will be carried out in Papua in stages, covering the education, health, and other related sectors.
"The meeting aimed to ensure the budget had been included in the ministries and institutions," he added.
He then said that the government is also concerned about the security approach in Papua.
"We are also concerned about security approach in Papua to ensure peace in the region," he stated.
Earlier, the government had formed a Task Force to Accelerate Sugar and Bioethanol Self-Sufficiency in Merauke district, South Papua province.
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The formation of the task force was laid down in the Presidential Decree of the Republic of Indonesia (Keppres) Number 15 of 2024, which was signed by President Joko Widodo on April 19, 2024.
Merauke was chosen for the plantation since the region has large swathes of land with suitable soil for sugar cane plantation.