The government has set a target of electrifying 433 remote villages in Indonesia’s four most impoverished provinces before the year-end as the country struggles to provide electricity for the entire population.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has pledged to introduce regulations that boost funding for the village electrification program, which will cost at least Rp 1.26 trillion (US$76.14 million).

State electricity firm PLN pledged to deploy new technology in mapping and electrifying the 433 remote villages in Papua, West Papua, East Nusa Tenggara and Maluku.

“The number is small compared with the total number of villages in the country – around 75,000 – but we still have to get this done,” said Jokowi on Friday when announcing the plan prior to a limited Cabinet meeting.

The program is part of the government’s effort to achieve a 100 percent e...