The digital era is a necessity, electronic-based transactions have become proof that digitalization has penetrated various barriers. The National Capital City (IKN) of the Archipelago also does not want to be left behind in realizing a smart city by initiating a digital village.
Bukit Raya Village, Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan, has become a pilot village as well as a study center for other villages to become digital villages or smart villages .
Since it was inaugurated as a digital village in August 2022, four villages have come to conduct comparative studies at Bukit Raya, three villages from the East Kalimantan region, namely Sidorejo Village, Gunung Intan Babulu and Sesulu while one village is from Central Kalimantan.
It should be noted that Bukit Raya is a digital village supported by Telkom and IKN through the Digital Nusantara Village Program ( Smart Village Nusantara). This program is to accelerate the development of the Archipelago region, especially in terms of technology and information.
The Head of the IKN Authority, Bambang Susantono, said that digitalization that has entered this village can accelerate digital literacy in the community. Bambang also appreciates that this initiative has met his expectations as villages in the archipelago have good digital literacy and use technology in everyday life.
According to Bambang, apart from technology being able to help people’s daily lives, later various village administration processes with Nusantara will also be digital so that everything is efficient according to Nusantara’s vision and mission as a smart city.
With the accelerated development of digitalization in villages in the archipelago, it means that the archipelago will be increasingly ready to become a smart city , a world city for all.
The digital village program is aimed at accelerating and developing the Archipelago region, especially in terms of technology and information. With this program, villages around the archipelago have adopted digital technology from an early age and will later support the smart city ecosystem that will be implemented in the archipelago.
The application of digital technology will of course open up many opportunities , both in terms of science and economics. Later farmers can sell their crops without having to go through middlemen. Young people who are not yet working can also acquire skills by taking online classes to gain skills that can support their future careers.
The Secretary of Bukit Raya Village, Adi Suriyadi said, Bukit Raya Village has used information technology as a means of electing the Head of Bukit Raya Village in 2021. For example by using a YouTube account to provide information to the public.
Bukit Raya Village’s YouTube account actively provides information on various village activities. Starting from the distribution of Direct Cash Assistance (BLT), visiting other villages, student KKN seminars, realization of the village budget to a special interview with the Head of IKN Bambang Susantono. Apart from YouTube , Desa Bukit Raya is also active on various other social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook .
Apart from being active on social media, the status of a digital village is further strengthened by the existence of an application owned by Bukit Raya Village, namely the SimpelDesa application to facilitate community services. Such as the Report Pemdes and Japri BPD features as a means of digital communication between the community and the government. There are also Village Market and Village Wholesale features for buying and selling transactions. There are also social features such as Simple Donor, Simple Donation and Panic Button.
With the presence of this application, it seems that Bukit Raya Village is part of Smart Village Nusantara as well as the first digital village in Penajam Paser Utara district.
Adi said that the community can also easily manage various letters and documents through the application, his party also hopes to take part in facilitating services for the community, so that all activities become efficient in accordance with Nusantara’s vision and mission as a smart city.
Previously, the Minister of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Suharso Monoarfa said that the development of the IKN area would carry the concepts of forest cities and smart cities.
The smart concept that is carried out has been considered as an overarching element in affirming the development of IKN as the New Capital City of Indonesia which is dynamic, inclusive, supported by the community, and ready to face the future.
Smart city development certainly has the aim of improving the quality of life of the people living in IKN. When the quality of life increases, it is hoped that it will give birth to superior human resources in the future. Therefore, with the construction of a digital village, of course it will support OIKN’s program to realize IKN as a smart city .
The development of a digital village is the government’s concrete step in implementing the IKN development plan in East Kalimantan which carries a smart city, tenOf course, it is hoped that other digital villages will emerge which will make civilization in IKN more advanced.
