Agencies, Jakarta – The government has spent Rp 2.3 trillion rupiah ($138.55 million) so far in President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program to provide free school meals for students and expecting mothers, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.
Launched in January, the vaunted program has reached 3.27 million recipients as of April 29, with more than 1,000 kitchens operating across the archipelago, the ministry said.
The government continues to commit to reaching 82.9 million recipients – more than a quarter of Indonesia's population – by the fourth quarter, by partnering with 32,000 kitchens and with a total budget of 171 trillion rupiah, deputy finance minister Suahasil Nazara told a press conference.
Investors have paid close attention to the programme due to its high cost and impact on Indonesia's fiscal position. The free meals policy has also been criticised by some student protesters in February who highlighted cases of food poisoning in some areas and called for free education instead.
The free-meal scheme is among several social welfare pledges from Prabowo's election campaign last year, including a free health check-up launched in February.
President Prabowo's government launched the ambitious $4.3 billion free-meal program to provide nutritious meals to tens of millions of schoolchildren and pregnant women.
It is aimed at combatting stunting, which affects about one in five children in Indonesia
The government's goal is to reduce that rate to five percent of children by 2045.