Budget Efficiency Drives Accelerated Development
Jakarta – The government continues to push for budget efficiency as the main strategy in accelerating national development. This step ensures that spending allocations are more targeted and optimizes the use of existing resources.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati revealed that President Prabowo Subianto ordered a cut in non-priority spending by Rp306.69 trillion, including the budget for ministries/institutions (K/L) of Rp256.1 trillion and the Transfer to Regions (TKD) fund of Rp50.59 trillion.
The President’s directive emphasized that the budget be focused on programs that have a direct impact on the community, such as the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, food self-sufficiency, energy, and health improvements.
“Official travel that has been conveyed many times, that is the area where we will ask K/L to carry out quite deep efficiency,” said Sri Mulyani in a press conference in Jakarta.
According to him, budget items that do not directly provide real benefits to the community, such as ceremonial activities, meetings, seminars, and official travel, will be cut to be diverted to more productive activities that have a direct impact on the economy.
“From this efficiency reallocation, the budget can be diverted to more productive spending, creating jobs, and supporting industrialization and downstreaming,” he added.
This efficiency is carried out based on the letter of the Ministry of Finance S-37/MK.02/2025, which stipulates cuts in 16 spending items, including office stationery (90 percent), ceremonial activities (56.9 percent), and official travel (53.9 percent). In addition, the budget for policy studies, consulting services, and honorariums has also been cut to ensure a more effective allocation.
Paramadina University economist, Wijayanto Samirin, assessed that the budget efficiency policy can direct development according to national priorities.
“Reallocation of APBN spending will make development more in line with what the government wants,” he told ANTARA.
He added that spending efficiency will increase the effectiveness of the APBN and ensure that budget use is more focused on priority programs.
With this policy, development in various sectors can run more optimally according to national needs. This efficiency step is expected to accelerate national development without sacrificing strategic sectors.
With transparent and efficient management, this policy is expected to be able to create more sustainable economic growth and improve the quality of state spending for the welfare of the wider community.
