Gibran Rakabuming to Learn from India on Free Lunch Program

TEMPO.CO, Solo - Solo Mayor and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka disclosed one of the subjects deliberated with Indian Ambassador Shri Sandeep Chakravorty, who visited his office at Solo City Hall, Central Java, on Monday, April 1. He expressed his intention to study the free lunch program that has long been implemented by the Indian government.

Gibran and President-elect Prabowo Subianto planned to realize the free lunch program, which is their campaign promise when they are officially inaugurated. They won the presidential election, beating two other pairs, namely Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud Md.

“We discussed technology, AI, some future collaborations, and that (free lunch) initiative,” Gibran told reporters at Solo City Hall on Tuesday, April 2.

He said that India’s scheme for its free meal program is efficient, so he aims to examine it. Besides India, he noted that several countries have similar initiatives but with distinct systems.

“The Ambassador said that the cost per person or child is 11 cents due to its high efficiency, and the logistics distribution is also efficient,” Gibran said.

He went on to say that India and Indonesia share the same characteristics of having large populations. His government is committed to preparing the best program, which includes learning from other nations that have implemented a similar initiative, along with assessing the impact on the children or students who are the targets of the program.

“We are studying the distribution, the logistics, the central kitchen, and the involvement of nutritionists,” he added.

Gibran Rakabuming expressed optimism that the best scheme for the free lunch program could reduce the burden on the State Budget. He had also dispatched a team to India to study the free lunch program there.

SEPTIA RYANTHIE

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