Day: January 12, 2022

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Geophysics Station in Palu, Central Sulawesi, conducted a survey on disasters and hazards in large-scale development in mining areas.

“We have surveyed the large-scale infrastructure development up to the port,” Head of the BMKG Data and Information Section for the Palu Geophysics Station, Hendrik Leopatty, stated here on Wednesday.

The BMKG Palu Geophysics Station conducted the survey along with mining companies in Morowali District, Central Sulawesi.

In the survey, the BMKG highlighted the dangers and impacts of infrastructure development in the event of an earthquake in the area. The agency will also offer directions to companies looking to conduct large-scale development in mining areas.

“In future, apart from the BMKG, construction experts will also be involved. Thereafter, we will also disseminate information on mitigation. Hence, this coordination is really important,” according to Leopatty.

He explained that Morowali District is an area traversed by the Gerasa segment of the Matano fault line. Earthquake experts in Indonesia have estimated that the shocks caused by this segment could reach 7.1-magnitude.

From these shocks, the BMKG estimates the areas most likely to be affected include Sigi, Donggala, Poso, North Morowali and Palu City.

“The affected areas are those around the Matano fault,” he pointed out.

Leopatty admitted that not all mining companies in Central Sulawesi were involved in collaborating with the BMKG Geophysics Station regarding the dangers of earthquakes in the construction of large-scale infrastructure in mining areas.

“We did not go directly to the company. They should have met us first,” he remarked.

Apart from building cooperation with mining companies, the BMKG will also disseminate information and edify about disaster mitigation to members of the community in the mining areas of Morowali and North Morowali districts.

“Several companies are also collaborating with the local government for the handling of natural disasters,” he stated.

“We have raised awareness and spread education in Palu City, Donggala District, Poso, Buol, Toli-toli and Parigi Moutong,” he added.

Source: Antara News

State-owned telecommunication company Telkom Indonesia is collaborating with a multinational private technology enterprise to train three thousand digital talents to support digital transformation conducted by a Telkom subsidiary company.

Thousands of such talents came from four departments and subsidiaries of Telkom Indonesia and will undergo the digital talent development program until March 2022.

Indonesia Telecommunication & Digital Research Institute (ITDRI) Jemy V. Confido noted here on Wednesday that his company provides information and telecommunication services.

As such, it has become their duty to continue to update their products and services, so that they could become more relevant for Indonesian citizens.

The digital talent training initiative will be expanded to the Telkom Education Foundation through Telkom University.

The digital talent training comprises fundamental-level and advanced-level digital training access.

The fundamental class is held independently, with the participants determining their own learning time. The class focuses on modules that concern data and artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and Azure architect technology.

Meanwhile, the advanced class is guided by a technical trainer, with focus on digital skill-based jobs that bring added value for employees in conducting their daily tasks.

Such jobs comprise AI engineer, data engineer, data scientist, developer, and solution architect.

After having completed the relevant classes, all employees of Telkom that partook in the program could receive an international certificate from the private enterprise as a proof of their digital talent training result.

Confido expects that such training, in collaboration with Microsoft, could make Telkom’s movement and services more agile and flexible as well as prioritize innovation creation through cloud and AI technology.

Source: Antara News

Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar drew attention to the fact that the number of independent villages had increased in 2021.

“According to the Village Building Index (IDM), there were 3,269 independent villages in 2021, an increase as compared to 1,741 independent villages in 2020,” the minister noted in a written statement here on Wednesday.

Iskandar assessed that the achievement was driven by the implementation of Law Number 6 of 2014 on Villages.

Furthermore, the minister highlighted that an independent village was one with proper access to fulfill basic needs, adequate infrastructure, as well as good public services and governance.

Iskandar remarked that the village must also have a Village Development Index (IPD) of more than 75 out of a scale of 100.

In addition, he stated that IDM was a tool to measure the acceleration in village development.

“The IDM comprises the Social Resilience Index (IKS), the Economic Resilience Index (IKE), and the Environmental Resilience Index (IKL),” he remarked.

The assessment aims to transform 51.2 percent of the 74,961 villages across Indonesia to become Independent Villages by 2024, he affirmed.

“Hence, we need to establish more independent villages. One of the attempts is through the smart village program,” he remarked.

The minister noted that smart villages depended on the implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT).

However, Iskandar emphasized that it should be in harmony with the village traditions and culture, so that village development is equitable and in accordance with the dynamics of the rural communities.

“The success in updating the 2021 IDM is the result of our joint collaboration, including professional and government assistants from the village to the center as well as the community, private sector, academics, military, police, and the prosecutor’s office that have strived to conduct their respective tasks,” he added.

Source: Antara News

Social security employment in Indonesia is entering a new phase ahead of the start of the Job Loss Insurance (JKP) program, which will begin in February 2022, and target workers affected by layoffs (PHK).

The JKP program will help laid-off workers find new jobs, provide them cash assistance, access to job market information, and job training.

The provision of state protection for workers who have lost their livelihoods is not new. Similar programs have been implemented in several countries, such as Japan and South Korea.

In Indonesia, the implementation of JKP is a derivative of the Job Creation Act, according to Government Regulation Number 37 of 2021 concerning the Implementation of the JKP Program.

The regulation explains that the JKP program will be carried out by the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) and the central government. The participants of the program will receive cash benefits for six months, access to job market information, and competency-based job training.

In order to avail of these benefits, JKP beneficiaries must have participated in the BPJS Kesehatan (health) and Employment social security program and applied for old-age insurance program (JHT), Work Accident Insurance (JKK), Death Insurance (JKM), and Pension Security (JP) through BPJS Ketenagakerjaan and National Health Insurance (JKN), organized by BPJS Kesehatan.

Workers who want to work again and workers who have a contribution period of at least 12 months out of 24 months and have paid a contribution fee to BPJS Kesehatan and Ketenagakerjaan for six consecutive months before being laid off will be eligible for the JKP program.

The benefits will not apply to workers who resigned, suffered permanent total disability, retired, or died.

The cash benefit will be provided for six months, with 45 percent of wages provided for the first three months and 25 percent of the wages for the next three months. The wage limit will be Rp5 million.

Ahead of the implementation of the JKP program, labor observer from Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Tadjuddin Noer Effendi, said that the program intends well: it seeks to provide assistance to workers in Indonesia as they look for a new job after being laid off.

However, he also reminded that the government needs thorough preparation for implementing the program, especially when it comes to tackling data problems.

The preparation of the data verification process is very important to disburse the assistance right on target, Effendi said.

The data validity verification is also important considering that one of the benefits that will be received by beneficiaries is cash assistance for six months, he explained.

Not only that, the data verification process also needs to be carefully prepared considering that there are special conditions for a worker to receive JKP, such as conditions related to contributions to BPJS Kesehatan and Ketenagakerjaan, he said.

Careful preparation is also needed regarding the provision of benefits to access job vacancy information and training, he added. He emphasized that the benefit regarding filling job vacancies as promised will not be easy.

Likewise, the benefit of job training, which is in accordance with Government Regulation Number 37 of 2021, will have to be carried out by job training institutions owned by the government, private sector, or companies, he pointed out.

Moreover, job training must be aimed at not only gaining employment but also starting an enterprise, he said.

“This JKP program must be well-prepared by the government to achieve the target,” he added.

Manpower Ministry’s Preparation

The Manpower Ministry, in several separate statements, has conveyed its commitment to the implementation of the JKP program.

The ministry has started to prepare regulations ranging from Government Regulations (PP), Minister of Manpower Regulations, to Minister of Finance Regulations, while the regulation from the head of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan has been completed, it informed.

The ministry said it has also prepared technical steps for building an integrated system with BPJS Kesehatan and Ketenagakerjaan.

The implementation of the JKP program will also be digital-based. Head of the public relations bureau from the Ministry of Manpower, Chairul Fadhly Harahap, explained that the benefit distribution process will go through the landing page or JKP page in the Employment Information System (Sisnaker).

On that page, prospective JKP beneficiaries can check their eligibility for receiving assistance ranging from cash assistance, counseling, job market access, and training program recommendations, he informed.

“All benefits distribution processes will utilize the JKP landing page in the Employment Information System,” Harahap said.

The Manpower Ministry has also prepared a system called Siap Kerja (Ready to Work) to support JKP beneficiaries, specifically through providing access to labor market information, he added.

The Siap Kerja system will provide information to JKP beneficiaries regarding overviews of jobs, he said.

The system is expected to facilitate JKP beneficiaries in finding jobs that suit them, he added.

The ministry has also prepared training partners (LPK) to implement the JKP program. The registration for the program opened on January 6, 2022, and closed on January 12, 2022.

Moreover, the ministry has trained 180 prospective counselors across Indonesia to provide counseling services to beneficiaries who are looking for work or seek training for reskilling, upskilling, and entrepreneurship.

Counselors will also provide recommendations for training programs to JKP beneficiaries.

All these preparations have been made to encourage the JKP’s utilization in accordance with the objectives to help workers who have been laid off and want to return to work in other companies.

Secretary general of the Ministry of Manpower, Anwar Sanusi, noted that the ministry is committed to implementing the JKP program as well as possible.

Sanusi emphasized that the spirit of JKP during the discussion regarding the Job Creation Law also covered tackling employment issues, including employee layoffs.

Source: Antara News

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) made assurance that Indonesia will not experience an energy crisis despite the government having reopened coal exports.

“Insyallah (God Willing), we believe that the energy crisis will not occur,” Kadin Chairman Arsjad Rasjid stated while inaugurating the Banten provincial Chamber of Commerce and industry in Lebak on Wednesday.

The national coal production is currently outstripping the domestic needs, including supplies to thermal power plants (PLTUs), he pointed out.

Rasjid remarked that Kadin supports the government’s decision to reopen coal exports.

“We highly support coal exports in the interest of the nation,” he noted.

The Kadin chairman affirmed that the country’s coal stocks are abundant and sufficient to meet the energy needs.

The national coal production stands at 50 million tons per month, while coal supplies to state electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) reach 10 million tons per month.

“I think no problem will be encountered if the government reopens coal exports,” he stated.

The Indonesian government, through the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, has temporarily banned coal exports during the period from January 1 to January 31, 2022, to ensure the availability of coal stocks for domestic power plants.

The export ban is aimed at the holders of mining business permits (IUPs) and coal mine company work contracts (PKP2Bs), director general of mineral and coal at the ministry, Ridwan Jamaludin, noted in a statement issued recently.

Declining coal supply could affect over 10 million customers of state-run electric company PT PLN (Persero), he stated.

This figure constitutes both the general public and the industry, he noted.

Jamaludin cautioned that if the export ban is not enforced, it could cause an outage at 20 coal-fired power stations generating 10,850 megawatts of power.

“This could potentially disturb the stability of the national economy. When coal supply for the power plants is sufficient or returns to normal, then we can export,” Jamaludin noted.

Source: Antara News

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil inaugurated the Leuwigajah double-track bridge connecting Baros, Central Cimahi Sub-district, with Leuwigajah, South Cimahi, Cimahi City, on Wednesday.

Kamil noted that the Leuwigajah double-track bridge can help the Cimahi people’s economy to grow.

In 2022, the underpass in Dustira will be completed, as Kamil’s party supports the development of several road infrastructures to bolster economic growth in Cimahi, he affirmed.

The governor explained that with the new bridge, the people of Central and South Cimahi can now be free of traffic jams. The 47.8-m bridge, built on the Cipularang toll road KM 127+ 800, had been under trial in 2021.

The bridge is intended for vehicles driving from Baros Road or Leuwigajah Highway to Kerkof Road, while vehicles from the opposite direction still ply on the old bridge.

“Today, we officially launch the Leuwigajah Bridge that has now been widened into two tracks to facilitate public access every day,” Kamil stated.

Hence, the West Java governor expressed hope that some infrastructure in Cimahi City would provide support for local residents in navigating through 2022 as the year of economic recovery.

The governor also suggested that the Leuwigajah Bridge be named after one of the heroes from Cimahi City. If so, the bridge-naming gesture can pay tribute to the heroes’ services, he added.

“Today’s inauguration aims to announce (the news) to the community. Later, we will search for its name. Our idea is a hero from the city of Cimahi,” he noted.

Leuwigajah Bridge was built in two years, with Rp23-billion funding assistance from the West Java provincial government.

Meanwhile, some residents of Leuwigajah in Cimahi City welcomed the new bridge that passes above the Purbaleunyi Toll Road KM 27.

Severe congestion at the location was addressed and the positive impact is real, such as the smooth traffic flow of goods and services transportation, according to Bastiani, the sub-district head of South Cimahi.

Source: Antara News

Non-tax state revenue (PNPB) realization from the energy and mineral resources sector reached Rp189.2 trillion in 2021, Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Arifin Tasrif informed here on Wednesday.

“The realization recorded 156 percent of the initial target of Rp121.2 trillion,” he remarked at a press conference on the ESDM Ministry’s achievements in 2021 and programs in 2022.

Compared to PNPB realization in 2020, which reached Rp109 trillion, the revenue in 2021 showed an increase of around 73.6 percent, the minister noted.

The ministry has continued to push PNBP up through a number of attempts, including oil and gas lifting as well as supervision of mineral, coal, and geothermal production, he said.

In 2021, the oil and gas sub-sector had the largest PNBP contribution of Rp103.2 billion, followed by the mineral and coal sub-sector (Rp75.5 billion), he informed.

Meanwhile, other sub-sectors collected Rp8.6 billion, and the new and renewable energy sub-sector’s PNBP contribution stood at Rp1.9 billion, he added.

Furthermore, in 2022, the ministry is targeting PNBP realization of Rp132.2 billion — Rp85.9 billion from the oil and gas sub-sector, Rp28 billion from the mineral and coal sub-sector, Rp2.4 billion from the new and renewable energy, as well as Rp15.9 billion from other sub-sectors, Tasrif said.

In addition, the ministry’s budget ceiling for 2022 is Rp5.89 trillion, he added.

Around 49 percent of the total figure will be allocated for community services, 35 percent for internal services, and 16 percent for non-physical public services, he said.

The budget will be used for the installation of the first phase of the Cirebon-Semarang natural gas pipeline, a natural gas network for 40 thousand new home connections, and an electricity network for 80 thousand new home connections, he disclosed.

The fund will also be used to provide 30 thousand packages of converter kits of liquified petroleum gas (LPG)-based machines for fishermen and another 30 thousand for farmers, he said.

In addition, it will be utilized for repairing four volcanic observation posts, modernizing the geological disaster mitigation system in five locations, and establishing 79 units of rooftop solar power plants with a capacity of 2.3 megawatts-peak (MWp), he added.

Furthermore, the ministry will also use the budget for installing 22 thousand solar street lamps, constructing three Micro Hydro Power Plant (PLTMH) units, providing 11,347 Electrical Power Storage and Distribution Tools (APDAL), and revitalizing 11 units of renewable energy power plants, he said.

Source: Antara News