VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), on Tuesday, distributed government food assistance to beneficiary families (KPM) at the Jombang Sub-district Office in Cilegon City, Banten.

The assistance of 10 kilograms (kg) of rice will be distributed from September to November 2023.

"Hence, after yesterday, it was divided into three months, and now, it is divided into three months again at the amount of 10 kg, 10 kg, and 10 kg," the president noted in a statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The beneficiaries expressed their gratitude for the food assistance distributed by President Jokowi.

One of the recipients, Siti, felt thankful for the food assistance given by the president.

"We got rice, we got food staples, praise to God, thank you Pak Jokowi," Siti stated.

Another recipient, Elina, also felt grateful for the food aid from the government. She expressed hope that the distribution of food assistance for the people in need would continue.

"For us, praise to God that we got assistance. Hopefully, it will continue and not stop today, so that it can help people in need," she stated.

Minister of Investment and Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, and Head of the National Food Agency Arief Prasetyo Adi accompanied the president.

Chairman of BULOG Public Corporation Budi Waseso, Acting Governor of Banten Al Muktabar, and Mayor of Cilegon Helldy Agustian were also present along with the president. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Youth and Sports Ministry has allocated government aid worth Rp399.5 billion (US$26 million) for preparations of the Indonesian U-17 football team and the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup that will be hosted by Indonesia.

The junior-level football world cup is scheduled to take place from November 10 to December 2 this year.

"Today, we signed a cooperation (aid) of Rp399.5 billion, proving that the government is present to support the holding of the U-17 World Cup and the preparations of the Indonesian U-17 team," Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo remarked at a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The ministry signed the cooperation agreement with the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI).

Minister Ariotedjo expressed hope that all related parties would ensure transparency and accountability of the management of the government aid.

"This is a large amount of fund, so we all have to ensure its transparency and accountability. I hope this fund will help improve our performance in football and regain the trust of international parties in Indonesia," he remarked.

Hopefully, this will help Indonesian football shine in the international arena, Ariotedjo stated.

The minister then explained that PSSI will follow up the aid cooperation agreement by coordinating with the ministry's funding and business office.

"Mr. Erick Thohir (chairperson of PSSI) will follow up the cooperation agreement with the Youth and Sports Ministry's funding and business office," he noted.

Meanwhile, Thohir remarked that the governmental aid would facilitate the government and national sports stakeholders to strengthen their unity for the sake of successfully holding world-class sporting events in Indonesia.

"We all have been waiting for this moment when the government and sports stakeholders unite to give the best to the nation and country," he remarked. (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia's Ministry of Manpower is exploring labor cooperation with the government of Oman.

The cooperation covers labor relations, labor laws and regulations, human resource capacity-building, occupational health and safety, and combating human trafficking, Minister of Manpower, Ida Fauziyah, informed here on Monday.

"We hope this meeting can be a new momentum for the governments of Indonesia and Oman to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of labor," she said at a bilateral meeting with head of the legal department of the Omani Foreign Ministry, Sulaiman Saud Al Jabri.

Indonesia is one of the countries that places migrant workers in various countries, she added.

The migrant worker placement schemes vary from G-to-G (government-to-government), P-to-P (private-to-private), and inter-corporate transfers, to independent placements.

As a form of protection for Indonesian migrant workers working abroad, Indonesia has imposed a number of provisions on the countries of placement, for instance, the destination country must have regulations that protect foreign workers in all sectors as well as have a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indonesia.

Moreover, the placement country must have a social security and/or insurance system that protects foreign workers and its migrant placement system must be integrated with Indonesia's.

"Currently, the Indonesian government has a policy of placing skilled and certified migrant workers in accordance with their fields to occupy jobs in the formal sector," she said.

Indonesia is currently experiencing a demographic bonus, where the productive age population is dominating the overall population, the minister added.

To optimize this potential, the government of Indonesia is continuing to improve the skills and competitiveness of Indonesian human resources through vocational training.

"We hope that both countries can develop cooperation in vocational training exchange programs," she said. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Minister Basuki Hadimuljono has invited China to invest in water infrastructure projects in Indonesia and the development of the new national capital (IKN) Nusantara.

"We have some projects running, such as Pelosika Dam, and some collaborations that we have carried out," he informed on the sidelines of the 18th World Water Congress in Beijing, China, on Monday.

Hadimuljono attended the congress to seek possible infrastructure cooperation with China and promote Indonesia as the host of the 10th World Water Forum in 2024.

"We are sending many delegations for this year's event. We hope they will also come to the World Water Forum," he said.

He informed that the Indonesian government will continue to seek investment for IKN development, including from Asian countries.

"We will continue to establish cooperation with China, Japan, and South Korea," he disclosed.

Furthermore, the minister informed that South Korea has provided a grant for IKN development along with waste design supervision.

Meanwhile, expert staff to the PUPR Minister for technology, industry, and environment, Endra Saleh Atmawidjaja, said that one of the missions of the Indonesian delegation at the 18th World Water Congress is to encourage infrastructure cooperation with China.

"The second mission is specifically to promote bilateral relations with China. We are currently exploring them, including the Pelosika, Jenelata, and Riam Kiwa Dams, which will all be built with China's cooperation," Atmawidjaja disclosed.

The PUPR Ministry has also invited China to invest in apartment infrastructure for the public at IKN Nusantara, he noted.

According to him, the Chinese government has provided a grant of US$3.6 million for the Pelosika Dam project in Southeast Sulawesi, construction on which began in 2020.

The Indonesian Government is also collaborating with the Chinese government on the construction of three more dams, namely Jenelata Dam in South Sulawesi, Riam Kiwa Dam in South Kalimantan, and Lambakan Dam in East Kalimantan, he informed.

Infrastructure cooperation between Indonesia and China began in 2002, starting with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Chinese Ministry of Communications and the PUPR Ministry.

The MoU concerns economic and technical cooperation in bridges, roads, and infrastructure projects in Beijing.

This collaboration continues in various sectors such as water resources, waste management, and sanitation.  (Antaranews)