JakartaPost/Antara-Jan 1, 2025
A string of hiccups in the pilot tests of the government’s free nutritious meals program, including alleged fraud, have prompted questions over how the plan will be efficiently implemented nationwide this week. The free meals program is one of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship campaign platforms, aiming to feed 82 million children, primary and secondary school students and pregnant women to improve childhood nutrition. The program is set to be offered to students nationally as early as Jan. 2, National Nutrition Agency (BGN) head Dadan Hindayana told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. But the free meals program has seen several obstacles in the trial run, from allegations of illegal levying and fraud to inconsistent menus. A video clip of a parents’ meeting at an unspecified school posted on Dec. 18 on TikTok by account @ahmad.lehan6 with a caption alleging illegal levying went viral last week. “The meals are free but you must buy two lunch boxes to eat them, each one costs Rp 30,000 [US$1.86], so buying two means you spend Rp 60,000 per child,” the caption said. Nutrition agency spokesperson Lalu Muhammad Iwan Mahardan, a police officer with the rank of senior commissioner, was quick to deny the allegation, saying that the program is completely free of charge given that it is a government initiative. “There is no element of levies in the plan, let alone an obligation to buy lunch boxes,” Lalu said last week, as quoted by Tempo. Reports emerged last week that dozens of catering businesses in Kediri, East Java had fallen victim to a scam offering them a chance to become vendors for the free meals program in the area. The perpetrator allegedly asked for a guarantee payment of Rp 1 million for every 1,000 meal boxes a catering service could provide, Antara reported. Read more at:
https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2025/01/01/fraud-alleged-illegal-levying-raise-questions-about-free-meals-programs-implementation.html.
