Indonesia will halt its flagship free meals programme for children during school holidays and scale back its overall reach, an official said, as the government seeks to reduce pressure on the state budget and improve efficiency following a corruption probe.
The decision reflects Indonesia's efforts to manage its state budget and address governance issues within a key social welfare program, potentially impacting nutritional support for thousands of children and signaling a shift in government spending priorities.
Indonesia is set to halt its flagship free meals programme for children during school holidays and reduce its overall scope as part of a government effort to cut pressure on the state budget and enhance efficiency. Agustina Arumsari, deputy head of the National Nutrition Agency, announced that the programme will be paused from June 22 to July 13 and in future school breaks.
The agency will stop funding meals for approximately 39,000 students across 76 schools in areas deemed to have sufficient economic capacity to meet nutritional needs. These resources will be redirected to students in remote areas. Arumsari stated these changes are part of a reorganization and efficiency drive, promising improved governance and oversight following the arrest of the programme's former head earlier this month on corruption allegations.
The budget allocation for the programme this year was previously reduced to 268 trillion rupiah ($15.1 billion) from 335 trillion rupiah. The agency plans to propose further spending cuts for the following year from an initial projection of 270 trillion rupiah, with Arumsari noting the current figure is considered too large. Additionally, incentives for kitchens closed during school holidays will be cut, potentially saving around 3.4 trillion rupiah. Further reductions may be implemented based on social and economic conditions, with kitchens failing to meet required standards or serving a low number of recipients subject to closure.