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New policy to cut overlaps in free meal rollouts
President Prabowo Subianto’s administration is working on a new policy that aims to reduce overlaps between various ministries and state institutions on the implementation of the free nutritious meal program, while also looking to deal with potential impacts of the large-scale rollout.
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A worker prepares meal packages for the free nutritious meal program on Feb. 12, 2025, at the kitchen of an Islamic boarding school (pesantren) in Kudus regency, Central Java. The free meals program kicked off on Jan. 13, 2025, with the first phase targeting more than 3,200 recipients in 17 schools across Kudus regency. (Antara/Yusuf Nugroho)
T
he government is working on a regulation that would synchronize various ministries’ authorities for the free nutritious meal program to prevent overlapping duties for a more complete enactment of the initiative while also mitigating any impacts.
The plan was announced by Coordinating Food Minister Zulkifli Hasan during a press briefing at his office in Jakarta on Monday.
The new regulation, either in the form of a presidential instruction (Inpres) or presidential regulation (Perpres), will define the responsibilities and roles of each institution to prevent uncertainty and overlap in the coordination because “the National Nutrition Agency [BGN] cannot work alone”, the senior minister said.
Among the ministries involved are the Defense Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry, the Home Ministry and the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry.
Since its launch in January, the free meals program has been mostly led by the BGN, working with other ministries and institutions in setting up designated kitchens for daily meal production.
Read also: Reports of food poisoning continue to haunt free meals program
Under the new regulation, the initiative would take a more comprehensive approach, including in the preparations for the larger and region-specific supply chain.
