Indonesia, April 9 -- Jakarta (ANTARA) -

Indonesia's National Zakat Agency (Baznas) and the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions agreed to integrate zakat, an Islamic charitable levy, into programs to strengthen rural economies across thousands of villages nationwide.

Baznas Head Sodik Mudjahid said on Thursday the partnership aims to optimize zakat collection and distribution through village-level systems, targeting sustainable economic empowerment and poverty reduction.

"As part of pilot projects, we already have a 'zakat village' model in Ciamis, where public awareness of zakat is high," Sodik said in a statement issued in Jakarta.

He added that Serang district is projected as the next development area to e...