Riyals for I'nesian haj pilgrims
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State-owned Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) has been appointed by the Religious Affairs Ministry to distribute Saudi Arabian riyal bank notes for Indonesian haj pilgrims.
According to BRI corporate secretary Budi Satria, the total value of bank notes to be distributed amounts to 237.95 million riyals (Bt2 billion) or equal to 750 billion rupiah.
“The distribution of the bank notes is aimed at financing the living costs of the Indonesian pilgrims and as incentives for haj tour and group leaders,” Budi said, adding that this was not the first time that the lender had been appointed to carry out the task.
The BRI expected to be able to provide enough cash for 155,200 pilgrims, 15,520 group leaders and 3,527 tour leaders, Budi said.
Apart from at its own branches, the BRI will also provide the bank-note distribution service at all embarkation points across the country, such as in Aceh, Medan in North Sumatra, Palembang in South Sumatra, Pondok Gede in West Java, and Makassar in South Sulawesi.
The pilgrims have started leaving for Saudi Arabia.
