REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) said the oil price fall would not put a brake on the government's infrastructure development program.

Infrastructure development is part of the program to eliminate poverty, Rudy Prawiradinata, an expert staff of the minister of national development planning said.

"That is why infrastructure development is carried out in integrated system in cooperation with other government agencies," Rudy said here on Tuesday.

He said the prices of oil have continued to shrink to around US$43 per barrel at present, feared to contribute to increasing poverty in the country.

The oil price fall might force the government to revise down its 2016 state budget targets as oil and gas revenues have fallen short of expectation.

The ministerial budgets have also to be pruned.

"The government, therefore, adopts a new strategy by optimizing priority programs," Rudy said.

Infrastructure has been put in high priority in development, he said.

Apart from good coordination, infrastructure development has to be carried out with synergy.

The government has issued Medium Term Infrastructure Investment Program and Plan 2015-2019.

Infrastructure financing must be more efficient that the economy would grow as expected, Rudy said, adding without improvement in efficiency it would be difficult to reach the targets.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika