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View all search resultsBGN faces criticism over free meal program during school break
Charles argued that a temporary suspension of the free meal program would enable the government to reallocate its budget to more pressing priorities, such as disaster relief for flood victims in Sumatra and nutrition improvement initiatives in regions facing severe stunting.
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A worker shows a meal package on Oct. 29, to be disbursed under the free nutritious meal program at a kitchen owned by Surabaya Police in Surabaya, East Java. (Antara/Didik Suhartono)
T
he National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has come under criticism for continuing its free nutritious meal program during the school holiday period with critics urging the government to suspend the program temporarily and reallocate its budget to assist disaster evacuees in Sumatra.
Charles Honoris, Deputy Chair of the House of Representatives’ Commission IX, which oversees health and social security affairs, called on the government to review the implementation of the program while schools are closed. He warned that the policy should not be driven solely by efforts to maximize budget absorption toward the end of the 2025 fiscal year.
“Rather than forcing the program to continue during a period when it is less relevant, wouldn’t it be wiser to redirect the funds to respond to other urgent needs?” Charles said on Monday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
Charles argued that a temporary suspension of the free meal program would enable the government to reallocate its budget to more pressing priorities, such as disaster relief for flood victims in Sumatra and nutrition improvement initiatives in regions facing severe stunting.
Read also: Regions report rising food prices due to free meal program
Northern and western regions of Sumatra have suffered widespread devastation after the rare Cyclone Senyar formed in the Malacca Strait late last month. The cyclone brought a week of torrential rainfall and strong wind gusts, triggering extensive flooding and landslides across North Sumatra, Aceh and West Sumatra.
As of Monday, the disaster had claimed at least 1,106 lives, with 175 people still reported missing.
