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View all search resultsGovt passes buck on free meals oversight
The government has ordered regional administrations to establish their own task forces to inspect free meals kitchens and promised incentives for complying regions, which critics warn will only shift oversight responsibilities to regions already under tight fiscal constraints.
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A worker carries meal trays under the free nutritious meal program on Sept. 21 to be disbursed to students at the state-run Islamic elementary school MIN 11 West Aceh, Aceh. (Antara/Syifa Yulinnas)
T
he government has ordered regional administrations to establish their own task forces to inspect free meals kitchens and promised incentives for complying regions, which critics warned will only shift oversight responsibilities to regions already under tight fiscal constraints.
Home Minister Tito Karnavian issued on Wednesday a circular instructing governors, mayors and regents to immediately create the task forces in charge of assessing kitchens’ compliance with standards set by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), including food quality, kitchen hygiene, waste management and beneficiary evaluations.
The teams may be led by regional heads themselves or officials from health, education or agriculture agencies and will report findings and recommendations to the agency. Previously, the program was directly overseen by the BGN’s monitoring and supervision deputy.
A key campaign promise of President Prabowo Subianto launched in January last year to fight malnutrition, the multitrillion-rupiah program has been facing mounting public pushback over its huge budget, recurring food poisoning incidents, lack of transparency and allegations of corruption.
“The Home Ministry is very committed to making this program successful. As the institution responsible for guiding regions, we’re encouraging local administrations to contribute to its success,” Tito said after a briefing to local leaders.
As of October, 230 regions have already formed the task force. Tito gave the remaining regions one week to comply.
He said provinces, regencies and cities that showed “the strongest support for the free meals program and creatively ensured its success” would each be rewarded with fiscal incentives worth Rp 3 billion (US$165,007) to 1 billion depending on their performance.
