PORTALJABAR, DISTRICT. GARUT - The Garut Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) held a Smart Chat Forum on Income Ngaronjatkeun (Ngorejat) which was held in the Garut BAPPEDA Office Hall, Friday (22/12/2023).

Head of Garut Bappeda, Didit Fajar Putradi, explained that the Ngorejat Forum was an FGD that his party had carried out. This Ngorejat Forum is the third in a series that has been held together with the Director of State Finance and Monetary Analysis of the Ministry of National Development Planning/BAPPENAS of the Republic of Indonesia, Tari Lestari.

He said that Garut Regency is a region that is not yet financially independent, because Garut Regency's Original Regional Income (PAD) is no more than 11% of the existing APBD.

"Therefore, of course there is a need to continue to have innovative discussions, discussions that encourage creativity, so regional governments can increase their original regional income, and that is still very possible," he said.

Didit added that Garut Regency needs creativity so that regional assets or goods that are still dormant can be utilized properly. Apart from that, he revealed that his party wanted to encourage efforts to recalculate or project Garut Regency's income from various potential sources.

"So even though we still have conditions like this, we also have complete natural resources, Gurilaps, there are mountains, jungles, seas, beaches, which we can really use," he said.

Didit explained that later in the fourth series of the Ngorejat Forum, his party would again invite the resource person present today, namely Lestari Dance. He revealed that Tari was one of the BAPPENAS officials assigned by the Head of BAPPENAS to specifically develop Garut Regency.

"It is a place for us to chat, a place for us to share opinions and how we can really increase economic income and further economic growth in Garut Regency in detail," he said.

He also revealed that the output he wanted to produce in this activity was that his party could provide the foundations and umbrella that would encourage policy formulation in Garut Regency.

"Therefore, this Ngorejat forum will encourage what policies, what regional regulations we need, what regional regulations we need, what programs we need and what priorities are set out in planning documents which will also become public policy in Garut Regency," he said.

Director of State Finance and Monetary Analysis of the Ministry of National Development Planning/BAPPENAS of the Republic of Indonesia, Tari Lestari, said that on this occasion he explained how the long-term development plan was being finalized by BAPPENAS, where BAPPENAS itself was trying to align it with what was being done by the regions.

"So that it is in line, especially from the revenue side, because I am in charge of monetary fiscal policy, the Directorate of State Finance and Monetary Analysis is trying to share with Garut what the direction of long-term development is, especially in the field of state finance," he said.

Tari explained that Garut Regency has extraordinary potential so that local government officials must have the foresight to be able to map the existing potential well.

"There is a lot of potential that has not been explored, so by empowering, we can map these potentials, economic activities will automatically be created, regional income can also be generated, so developing the economic potential of the region in Garut, which has quite a lot of potential, there are still many who are idle, I "This feeling is potential," he said.

He hopes that Garut Regency can become an innovative, comfortable city, and can hold its superior potential with several efforts such as preparing educational facilities and health facilities.

"So if education is provided well, the human resources will definitely be superior on their own. Second, health facilities, so that not many people leave the city to get treatment, all these facilities are provided by Garut, I think the superior potential is to stay," he said. (Diskominfo Garut/UPI)