JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia's new government has initiated an ambitious $28 billion project designed to provide nutritious meals for nearly 90 million children and pregnant women in an effort to combat malnutrition and stunting. The AP News reports that this program emerges as a significant fulfillment of President Prabowo Subianto's campaign promises, aimed at tackling the prevalent growth stunting affecting 21.5% of Indonesian children under the age of five.

During his inauguration in October, President Subianto emphasized the high levels of child malnutrition as a pressing issue. "Too many of our brothers and sisters are below the poverty line, too many of our children go to school without breakfast and do not have clothes for school," he stated. This initiative includes a commitment to supply free school lunches and milk to over 83 million students across more than 400,000 schools in the country.

Subianto's administration targets to reduce the stunting rate significantly as part of a broader agenda that aims for a sustainable economic growth rate of 8% over the coming years. However, this expansive program has sparked criticism and concerns regarding its financial feasibility. Critics argue that the scale of the initiative and the corresponding costs, which could exceed 450 trillion rupiah (approximately $28 billion), could strain state finances.

According to Time Magazine, Dadan Hindayana, the head of the newly established National Nutrition Agency, outlined that the program's annual budget for 2025 aims to cover 19.47 million schoolchildren and pregnant women, with costs controlled to maintain the deficit under a legislated threshold.

On Monday, the program rolled out with the first delivery of 3,000 meal portions to a primary school in the Jakarta satellite city of Depok, where students enjoyed dishes that provided a significant portion of their daily caloric needs.

Despite these efforts, economic analysts express skepticism regarding the integration of such a large-scale program into Indonesia's fiscal framework. Nailul Huda, an economic researcher, pointed out that with Indonesia's current fiscal constraints, the program might lead to increased state debt. There are apprehensions that forcing the program to meet its ambitious recipient goals could overshadow its benefits.

Furthermore, NPR reports that achieving the stunting reduction targets set for 2024 remains a significant challenge, as the current rate is still below expected levels. UNICEF statistics estimate that one in five Indonesian children under five years are stunted, highlighting an urgent need for effective interventions.

Reni Suwarso, director of the Institute for Democracy, Security and Strategic Studies, remarked, "Child malnourishment has severe consequences, threatening the health and long-term development of infants and young children throughout this nation." As Indonesia embarks on this challenging journey, the success of the Free Nutritious Meal program will be closely monitored, against the backdrop of both opportunity and criticism.