Jakarta. Indonesia's PT. Cogindo Daya Bersama inked a business contract worth US$25.3 million with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Energy and Water for the provision of electricity maintenance services across the Middle Eastern country.
Both sides signed the three-year contract in the presence of Indonesian Ambassador to Kuwait Tri Tharyat on Thursday, the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait City noted in a written statement released on Friday.
The project will employ 297 workers, including those from Indonesia.
The ambassador stated that the success is the manifestation of efforts to implement the Indonesian president's order and the memorandum of understanding (MoU) of State-Owned Companies Go Global between the Foreign Ministry and the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry to boost Indonesian investment abroad.
The success is expected to open up investment from Indonesian state-owned enterprises and private companies to Kuwait and create jobs for Indonesian skilled workers in the Middle Eastern country, he remarked.
"Indonesia may be proud of the achievement because it has been able to showcase its competitive edge and garner trust from Kuwait. I am optimistic that the project would run well and become a positive note for the Kuwaiti government regarding the Indonesian company's performance," he stated.
The first note of success of the Indonesian state-owned enterprise in Kuwait was the result of close cooperation between Cogindo and the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait City since early 2020. The company won the tender in the midst of myriad challenges presented during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the tender process was suspended for over three months.
For this project, Cogindo will function as the chief contractor that is expected to open up Indonesian investment and boost the employment of Indonesian skilled and professional workers in Kuwait. (Antaranews)
Jakarta. Deputy House Speaker Azis Syamsuddin has appealed to the Social Affairs Ministry to reevaluate stopping cash social assistance (BST) for poor families.
"We suggest that the government evaluate the implementation of the BST program in 2020 and 2021 to see the extent to which the assistance has been effective in promoting the people's economy and seek other form of assistance if BST is scrapped," he noted in a press statement released on Friday.
The House of Representatives (DPR) also called on the government to reconsider extending cash assistance if the people's economy has not gradually recovered, although the national economy has begun to return to normal.
Syamsuddin remarked that the people leading a difficult life due to the COVID-19 pandemic are in dire need of the assistance.
The deputy chairman of the Golkar Party stated that BST is part of the cash assistance program launched by President Joko Widodo on January 4, 2021. The program covers basic necessities/non-cash food assistance (BPNT) program for 18.8 million beneficiary families, family hope program (PKH) for 10 million beneficiary families, and cash social assistance (BST) program for 10 million beneficiary families.
According to the DPR data, in March 2021, non-cash food assistance was distributed to 10,496,185 beneficiary families comprising 4,502,451 beneficiary families on March 22 and 5,993,734 beneficiary families on March 25. (Antaranews)
Jakarta. Mount Merapi, straddling Yogyakarta and Central Java, emitted hot clouds as far as 1.5 kilometers to the southwest direction on Friday morning.
Head of the Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center (BPPTKG) Hanik Humaida noted in her official statement here on Friday that during the first observation, the hot clouds billowed at 4:13 a.m. and 4:28 a.m. local time as far as 900 meters to the southwest.
"It was recorded on the seismogram, with a maximum amplitude of 15 mm and a maximum duration of 84 seconds," she remarked.
Mount Merapi again released hot clouds as far as 1,500 meters to the southwest at 5 a.m. local time, with a maximum amplitude of 35 mm and a duration of 142 seconds.
During the observation period on Friday from 00:00 to 6 a.m. local time, Mount Merapi also reportedly emitted lava 16 times as far as 700 meters to the southwest.
During that period, the BPPTKG also recorded on three instances, earthquakes with hot clouds at an amplitude of 15-35 mm for 67-142 seconds, another 39 times earthquakes to have occurred with an amplitude of 3-28 mm for 17-66 seconds, and one gust earthquake, with an amplitude of 7 mm for 16 seconds.
Until now, the center continues to maintain the status of Mount Merapi at Level III or alert.
The lava and hot clouds of Mount Merapi are forecast to impact areas comprising Sungai Kuning, Boyong, Bedog, Krasak, Bebeng, and Putih in the south to the southwest.
In the meantime, Mount Merapi's volcanic material could disperse as far as three kilometers from the mountain's peak. (Antaranews)
Jakarta. Until March 28, Indonesia had 7,664 command posts established by authorities in 15 provinces to impose micro-scale public activity restrictions (PPKM Mikro).
The 7,664 command posts are in charge of prevention measures for 12,619,259 households in 193,550 neighborhood units, according to Indonesia's COVID-19 Task Force.
"We laud this achievement since the more command posts we have, the more people can be protected," the task force spokesperson, Wiku Adisasmito, stated here on Friday.
Most of the command posts are established in rural and neighborhood areas in Central Java Province, according to Adisasmito.
In Central Java, the task force recorded 2,665 command posts that serve four million households, while the second-largest number of command posts are available in East Java.
The province has 2,249 command posts that serve over three million households, he stated, adding that the presence of command posts is quite helpful.
In averting a spike in the infection rate, five provinces -- South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, and West Nusa Tenggara -- have recently enforced the PPKM-Mikro. To this end, they have also set up command posts.
Notable progress was apparent in West Nusa Tenggara where 68 command posts were established to serve over 100 thousand households, Adisasmito remarked.
"This is a good trend in our COVID-19 mitigation efforts in various regions," he stated.
The PPKM-Mikro policy has been enforced for eighth weeks, but all regions must exercise caution in the wake of potential threats of COVID-19 transmission, he remarked.
As of April 1, 2021, Indonesia recorded 6,142 new confirmed cases over the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the total count of positive cases to 121,222.
Indonesia has been striving to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since the government officially announced the country's first cases on March 2, 2020.
The government has rolled out a nationwide vaccination program since January 13 this year to stem the spread of the disease.
The Health Ministry estimates a time period of 15 months to vaccinate some 181.5 million people under the national program.
"We need 15 months to accomplish it. The time frame for conducting the vaccination is counted from January 2021 to March 2022," the Health Ministry's spokesperson for the vaccination program, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated recently.
During the period, the government is targeting to inoculate some 181.5 million people, including 1.3 million paramedics and 17.4 million public sector workers in 34 provinces, she informed.
Tarmizi noted that the first phase of the government's immunization program is divided into two periods: January-April 2021 and April 2021-March 2022.
Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto has affirmed that all TNI personnel will participate in this vaccination program.
Indonesia's COVID-19 infection rate crossed one million cases on January 26, 2021.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease has dragged Indonesia into serious public health and economic crises. (Antaranews)