Jakarta. The Public Works Ministry's budget ceiling for the 2026 fiscal year has been set at Rp 118.5 trillion ($7.3 billion), following a working meeting with the House of Representatives’ (DPR) Commission V at the Parliament Complex in Senayan on Monday.

The ministry will receive an additional Rp 47.64 trillion on top of its indicative budget of Rp 70.86 trillion, primarily to fund President Prabowo Subianto’s priority programs. These include food self-sufficiency initiatives, road development, and the establishment of free boarding schools known as Sekolah Rakyat (The People’s School).

“Essentially, the budget is allocated strategically to continue and improve quality infrastructure development, which supports economic growth, connectivity, food security, and people’s quality of life,” Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo said.

The Rp 118.5 trillion allocation will be distributed across various units, with the Directorate General of Highways  receiving the largest share at Rp 45.61 trillion, followed by the Directorate General of Water Resources at Rp 34.73 trillion, and the Directorate General of Strategic Infrastructure at Rp 24.10 trillion. Smaller allocations include Rp 576.85 billion for the Secretariat General, Rp 107.81 billion for the Inspectorate General, Rp 2.03 trillion for Human Settlements, and Rp 599.03 billion for Construction Development.

Priority projects for 2026 include the construction of 15,851 hectares of irrigation networks, rehabilitation of 197,430 hectares of irrigation systems, provision of 500 liters per second of raw water, and development of 191 kilometers of new roads, along with 28.19 kilometers of toll roads. The ministry also plans to maintain 46,451 kilometers of existing roads and nearly 532,000 meters of bridges, as well as upgrade 36.65 kilometers of regional roads.

Other initiatives include expanding water supply systems to 918 liters per second, wastewater management for 115,750 households, developing 150 hectares of strategic areas, constructing 200 Sekolah Rakyat, and building facilities for 1,000 Islamic boarding schools (madrasah).

Commission V Chairman Lasarus emphasized that the ministry and its partners must submit written details on spending items and activities to the commission within 30 days after the 2026 state budget law is passed at the DPR plenary session.