Bappenas & Various Relevant Ministries Launch the Village Index

JAKARTA – To measure the development achievements of villages in Indonesia, the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas launched the Village Index on Monday, March 4, 2024. This launch marks the culmination of coordination between the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, the Cabinet Secretariat, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (PMK), the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the Central Bureau of Statistics. The Village Index came about from a series of coordination and discussions among relevant government agencies, as a follow-up to the mandate of the Limited Meeting on Village Funds in December 2019.

In that year, President Joko Widodo of Indonesia approved the use of the Village Index to measure village development achievements. However, up to now, there are still two indices for measuring village development achievements, namely the Village Index (ID) and the Village Development Index (IDM). The differences between them include data sources, calculation methods, dimensions, variables, and data verification mechanisms. Following the instructions of the Cabinet Secretary, in 2023, the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas coordinated with various related institutions to refine the Village Index. After a series of discussion meetings, trials, and coordination meetings, an inter-agency agreement was reached, resulting in the Village Index being refined as a single index for measuring village development achievements.

"The launch of the Village Index will be a milestone in solidifying the assessment of village development achievements in Indonesia. With the Village Index as a single guide, we can more effectively promote village self-reliance and formulate more targeted policies for sustainable progress," said the Acting Deputy for Regional Development of the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, Tri Dewi Virgiyanti.

The launch was attended by the leaders of the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, the Cabinet Secretariat, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (PMK), the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS). In addition, various stakeholders, including representatives from the central government, regions, and villages, development partners, and the mass media, will witness the launch of the Village Index, which is a strategic step for sustainable and inclusive village development across Indonesia.