Indonesia’s ambitious free nutritious meals programme has fed more than 55 million people in its first year, a scale-up President Prabowo Subianto has hailed as a major step in tackling childhood malnutrition, even as critics warn that rapid expansion has come at the expense of oversight, food safety and fiscal discipline.
Launched with fanfare last year, the scheme provides free meals to schoolchildren, infants and pregnant women, with the government framing it as a long-term investment in human capital and economic growth.
In its first year, the programme reached 55.1 million recipients and was overseen by the National Nutrition Agency, or BGN, which has partnered with more than 17,000 kitchens.
The Prabowo administration allocated 71 trillion rupiah (US$4.2 billion) for the programme last year, of which 51.5 trillion rupiah had been spent as of January 7, according to the finance ministry.
This year, the government has set aside 335 trillion rupiah, or 8.7 per cent of the total state budget, to expand coverage to 82.9 million people, including breastfeeding mothers and elderly citizens.
Prabowo has called the programme “strategic” to address malnutrition in up to 30 per cent of Indonesian children.
Jakarta, Food safety, Central Java, Prabowo Subianto, JPPI, Indonesia, East Java, BGN, Detik, Diah Saminarsih, CISDI, Malnutrition, Indonesian children, Aceh#Indonesia #hails #successful #free #meals #scheme #food #safety #oversight #concerns1768308590
Aceh
BGN
Central Java
CISDI
concerns
Detik
Diah Saminarsih
East Java
food
Food safety
Free
hails
Indonesia
Indonesian children
Jakarta
JPPI
Malnutrition
Meals
oversight
Prabowo Subianto
safety
scheme
successful
