Jakarta, April 24 -- Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Abdul Halim Iskandar underscored the need for all stakeholders to continue to take into account the cultural roots in developing rural regions across Indonesia.

"We should not neglect cultural roots in the planning and execution of development works in villages," Iskandar stated in his keynote speech for a climate change forum held by his ministry and World Bank in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Iskandar observed that the neglect of cultural roots in villages might result in the loss of a local language and tradition.

On that note, he underlined that the government had been consistently holding local cultures in high regard while implementing dev...