Labor intensive program kicked off

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso kicked off on Thursday the city's labor intensive program aimed at providing job opportunities to the unemployed and anticipating the impact of the current dry season.

The launching of the six-month program was held at Setu subdistrict in Cipayung, East Jakarta.

The program is projected to cost about Rp 87.9 billion (US$5.86 million), of which Rp 77 billion will come from the 1998/1999 state budget, Rp 8 billion from the 1988/1999 city budget and Rp 2.4 billion from donations.

"The projects will be conducted in 225 locations throughout the city," East Jakarta Mayor H. Sudarsono said in his report at the launching ceremony.

Out of the 225 locations, 44 are in East Jakarta, where 15 projects will deal with road upgrading, five with road repair, eight with the cultivation of neglected land, 13 with the construction of irrigation networks and three with the environment.

Sudarsono said the technique used in the implementation of the project would include, among other things, internships at a number of companies and independent business activities involving productive economic institutions.

"After the projects are completed, about 10,120 participants of the projects will be expected to be self-reliant and no longer dependent on others," he said.

The program is different from the city's earlier labor- intensive program as it is mainly aimed at skilled people, who will be selected by district administrators.

City administration data show that unemployment in the city reached 747,760 people as of yesterday, not including 21,544 who lost their jobs due to massive rioting in May.

Job opportunities have further diminished, he said, because many companies had their properties pillaged and destroyed during the orgy of rioting in May. (ind/hhr)