20,000 families to be relocated

20,000 families to be relocated

BENGKULU: The government is planning to transmigrate 20,000 families to several provinces in the country this year, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

"We have allocated Rp 700 billion (US$85 million) in funds to support various transmigration programs," said Resettlement Director M. Arsyad Nurdin of the Ministry of Manpower.

He added that the transmigration programs would be implemented under a scheme in which 50 percent of transmigrants would comprise local people and the remainder, outsiders.

Arsyad said the programs would seek approval from local governments on their needs in regards transmigration.

He also promised to select transmigration applicants through a strict selection process to prevent any cases of transmigrants selling and abandoning their lands after the period of government assistance ends. -- Antara