MINISTER : 7,500 RI VILLAGES STILL WITHOUT ELECTRICITY

Yogyakarta, July 16 (ANTARA) - State Minister of Least Developed Regions Muhammad Lukman Edy said some 7,500 villages in Indonesia still had no access to electric power.

"Most of the villages which have no access to electric power are located in least developed regions on remote islands and mountainous areas," the minister said here on Thursday.

He made the statement during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between his ministry and the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM) of Yogyakarta.

"In the next 10 to 15 years, the least developed regions might still not have electricity from PLN (State Electricity Company," the minister said.

To address the problem, the state ministry had established cooperation with universities to develop alternative energy sources to produce electricity.

"We have involved universities to help develop solar cell technology, micro hydro, and other alternative energy sources," he said.

Minister Lulkman Edy said the number of least developed regions has decreased from 199 districts, to 168 districts this years. The 31 districts are no longer categorized as least developed regions.

"Almost 60 percent of the least developed regions are located in eastern Indonesia," the minister said.

Meanwhile, the UGM rector Prof Eng. Sudjarwadi PhD said the cooperation would help create an idea and a new work which could be beneficial for the development of least developed regions.

He said that the ministry and UGM could do many things in this field, moreover that UGM was established and run based on the values of the Pancasila state ideology and sciences.

"Indonesia is a country with rich natural resources. The knowledge and sciences mastered by UGM community and together with the public, could be contributed for the benefits of the nation," the UGM rector said. ***3***
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