Hindayana ensured that the budget was sufficient to provide food with balanced nutritional content that includes carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals to meet daily needs.
"The average index of our trial in Sukabumi consisted of balanced nutrition with calories according to needs," he remarked on Saturday.
Warungkiara Sub-district in Sukabumi has been chosen as the pilot project for this program since January 2024.
According to Hindayana, this trial covered around three thousand students from 20 schools, ranging from early childhood education (PAUD) to high schools, served by the MBG service unit in the village.
In the trial, each beneficiary received a budget allocation of Rp5 million (US$305) per year, with a target figure of 457 thousand beneficiaries, Hindayana stated.
To ensure this program's sustainability, the central government bears the entire budget. Thus, local governments are not burdened with additional budget allocations.
On a different occasion, Hindayana remarked that the budget of Rp10 thousand will be flexible, depending on the needs and understanding of each region.
He noted that the remaining budget from surplus regions will be allocated to the other areas needing additional funds, especially those with higher raw material prices.
He explained that the budget is not used to buy ready-made food packages but to purchase raw materials to be cooked on-site by involving the community and local catering businesses.
As earlier reported, President Prabowo Subianto announced that the budget index for the free nutritious meal program for children and pregnant women was set at Rp10 thousand per child or pregnant woman per day.
He highlighted that the government is keen to allocate Rp15 thousand per person per day, but the current budget only allowed for Rp10 thousand.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Arie Novarina
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