Vice President Jusuf Kalla handed over Smart City Awards to 15 heads of regions in Indonesia.

The Bandung Technology Institute held the Smart City Rating Award at the Vice President`s Palace in Jakarta.

The institute had surveyed and reviewed the preparedness of 93 cities in Indonesia to conduct development based on the smart city concept.

The vice president has bestowed awards on 15 cities including five big cities: Surabaya, Bandung, Semarang, Bekasi, and South Tangerang.

Meanwhile, medium-sized cities that received awards are Denpasar, Binjai, Manado, Yogyakarta, and Kediri.

Small cities that also received the award are Magelang, Sawahlunto, Bontang, Tual, and Bukittinggi.

The rating is given based on a survey to evaluate the preparedness of each city based on their strengths and characteristics towards realizing smart city development.

A smart city should empower natural and human resources optimally to tackle challenges by implementing innovative solutions.

The smart city award is bestowed to boost development in cities and reduce economic disparity among regions

Source: ANTARA