Indonesia's 2023 state budget focused on employment, poverty alleviation

President Joko Widodo during his remark during a plenary cabinet meeting at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Monday, January 16, 2023. (Photo: ANTARA)

Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has appealed to all ministerial ranks to channel the 2023 state budget into productive activities, especially pertaining to job creation.

The head of state noted during a plenary cabinet meeting on January 16 that the 2023 state budget must be focused on productive activities, especially in the context of job creation and poverty alleviation.

The president remarked apart from productive programmes, the 2023 state budget is also focused on completing national priority programmes, such as reducing stunting rates, lowering extreme poverty, and the agenda ahead of the 2024 election with focuses on national priority programmes such as the people’s economy, exports and investment.

He also said that the use of the regional budget must be in line with the state budget that focuses on national priority programs, such as the people's economy, exports, and investment.

According to him, the government managed to achieve positive results amid external pressure in the turbulent year of 2022, such as economic growth that was projected to lie in the range of around 5.2% to 5.3%, to inflation that can still be controlled at the level of 5.5%.

He viewed that 2023 will not be an easy year since several major countries, such as the European Union, China, and the US, are experiencing economic downturns due to increasing geopolitical pressure./.