JAKARTA, June 19 — Indonesia will suspend the government's flagship free meals programme for children during school holidays and scale back its coverage as part of efforts to reduce pressure on the state budget, an official said late yesterday.
Deputy head of the National Nutrition Agency Agustina Arumsari said the programme will be paused from June 22 to July 13 and will also be suspended during future school holiday periods. Meals had continued to be distributed during last year's school break.
The agency will also stop funding meals for around 39,000 students in 76 schools located in areas deemed capable of meeting nutritional needs independently. Resources will instead be redirected to students in remote areas.
Agustina said the measures form part of a broader reorganisation and efficiency drive within the programme.
The agency has pledged to strengthen governance and oversight following the arrest of its former head earlier this month over allegations of corruption linked to the initiative.
The programme's budget allocation for this year was previously reduced to 268 trillion rupiah (RM59.8 billion) from 335 trillion rupiah.
The agency is also planning to propose further spending reductions next year from the initial allocation of 270 trillion rupiah.
“We think the figure is too big,” Agustina said.
“With the budget we have, we can cut back and make it more efficient.”
She added that the agency would reduce incentives paid to kitchens that remain closed during school holidays, a move expected to save around 3.4 trillion rupiah.
Agustina said further cuts to the programme remain possible after taking into account social and economic conditions.
Kitchens serving a low number of beneficiaries or those failing to meet required standards could also face closure under the review.
