Hardijanti receives Rp 3b donation from Jayanti Group

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Social Services Siti Hardijanti Rukmana received yesterday a donation of Rp 3 billion (US$352,940) from the Jayanti Group of companies.

F.X. Soedjasmin, director of the timber giant, told the minister the donation for the poor was collected from its 50,000 employees.

The minister has received at least Rp 6 billion from the public since she launched a nationwide campaign, Managing the Impact of the Monetary Crisis, soon after her appointment to the portfolio.

The program aims to provide poor people with cheap but healthy meals.

President Soeharto and his 36-strong cabinet also agreed to donate their salary for a year to help and feed needy people.

Giant PT Barito Pacific Timber has handed over Rp 2 billion to the minister while the widely diversified PT Astra International donated Rp 1 billion.

"From the total (received) funds, Rp 200 million has already been disbursed, including Rp 75 million to help flood victims in Bandung, West Java, and the rest to fund cheap food stalls," Antara quoted the minister as saying yesterday.

Today, 26 members of the Association of Korean-Indonesian garment firms are to donate textile products to the minister.

Hardijanti, who is more popularly known as Mbak Tutut, said last week that the ministry would provide free food for laidoff workers nationwide despite criticism that the campaign would not do much for unemployed people.

In the Central Jakarta mayoralty, 2,000 meals worth Rp 1,500 (16 U.S. cents) were distributed last week in 40 subdistricts.

According to spokesman M. Yanis, the mayoralty has spent 90 percent of the Rp 1.15 billion fund from the city budget to pay people working on several labor-intensive projects here. It has employed 2,550 people per day from January and each worker gets Rp 7,500 for a seven-hour shift. (prb)