Jakarta. The government will allocate Rp 71 trillion ($4.33 billion) for President-elect Prabowo Subianto's free meals for students program in the 2025 Draft State Budget (RAPBN). This flagship program will be rolled out in stages and will not impact the 2025 deficit target.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati announced that current President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo’s administration and Prabowo's team have agreed to this budget allocation. The 2025 state budget serves as a transition budget during the leadership of Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

“For the first year of the new administration in 2025, an allocation of around Rp 71 trillion has been agreed upon in the 2025 RAPBN. The Rp 71 trillion figure falls within the deficit range of 2.29 percent to 2.82 percent,” said Sri Mulyani at a press conference at the Directorate General of Taxes headquarters on Monday.

Sri Mulyani emphasized that the state budget is managed prudently and remains a sustainable instrument. The budget plays a vital role for both the current and the incoming administrations.

The Finance Ministry is responsible for including the budget allocation for the free meals program in the 2025 state budget, while the technical preparation will be carried out by the team from the president-elect’s administration.

“The Rp 71 trillion is not an additional amount; it is already included and will be incorporated when drafting the 2025 state budget bill, which will be presented by President Joko Widodo on August 16,” explained Sri Mulyani.

The Ministry has prepared the 2025 RAPBN through a process involving cabinet meetings with President Joko Widodo and consultations with the president-elect and vice president-elect's team. The budget drafting mechanism follows the State Finance Law and is discussed transparently with the House of Representatives (DPR) to gain approval for the state budget law.

“So far, our communication has been smooth to maintain a commitment to prudent and sustainable fiscal management,” Sri Mulyani elaborated.

Echoing Sri Mulyani’s sentiments, Thomas Djiwandono, a member of the Finance Division of the Synchronization Task Force, said that his team is committed to gradually implementing the president-elect’s flagship program. The implementation will be carried out in stages while adhering to the principle of quality spending. “The Rp 71 trillion is a very positive figure for us,” said Thomas at the same event.

“We also want to stress the president-elect’s commitment to the deficit targets agreed upon by the government and the DPR,” he added.

President-elect Prabowo Subianto recently affirmed that he has no plans to raise the 3 percent budget deficit cap to fund his flagship program. Vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka had previously said that the free school lunch program needs a dedicated ministry because of its anticipated complex distribution and large government spending. 

The proposed budget for the program is approximately Rp 15,000 ($1) per child per day, excluding milk provision. The initiative aims to cover around 82.9 million students gradually until 2029, with an estimated total budget of Rp 400 trillion.

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