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Indonesian central bank, Bank Indonesia (BI), would allocate some 118.5 trillion rupiah (about 9. 7 billion U.S. dollars) of cash to comply with people's increasing demands on cash during the upcoming Muslim's fasting month of Ramadan and festivity that follows later, a BI official said here on Thursday.
BI Cash Management Executive Director Lambok Antonius Siahaan said that amount allocated this year was 14.9 percent higher than the level last year.
"Considerations to increase the allocation were based on facts that government would pay 'the 13th' salaries for civil servants, military and police in July this year. Besides that, school holiday season happens to take place during Ramadan. Longer days off, from five to six days, in the upcoming Lebaran festivity holiday was also part of the consideration," Lambok said in his office here.
Indonesia, with the world's largest Muslim population, would officially commence Ramadan on June 29. It would eventually end 30 days later with festivity called Idul Fitri, or Lebaran, where people make large scale of travelling to their hometowns.
According to an estimate issued earlier by the transportation ministry, the massive travelling during Lebaran festivity this year would involve 27.9 million people, 6.99 percent higher than last year, using air, sea and land transportation.
