Jakarta, Aug. 14 -- Indonesia's Poverty Alleviation Acceleration Agency (BP Taskin) aims to guide 60 cooperatives established under the Red and White Village Cooperatives program to manage gold mines in West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

"We are working on a project centered on mining cooperatives in West Lombok. Note that it is not about agriculture, but mining," BP Taskin head Budiman Sudjatmiko said at a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.

The initiative is intended to empower economically disadvantaged residents and curb the illegal mining that is prevalent in the district.

On the same occasion, BP Taskin deputy head I, Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, said the agency is collaborating with the West Lombok district government and local la...