Troubled Indonesian nutrition agency loses second chief in 2 months

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The head of Indonesia's multi-billion-dollar free meals program resigned on Wednesday just 45 days after taking over from a predecessor who was removed over corruption allegations. Nanik S. Deyang cited health reasons, but her abrupt departure leaves the future of the troubled program in doubt.

Deyang was inaugurated in early June after Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto dismissed the National Nutrition Agency's previous head, Dadan Hindayana, because of his involvement in a corruption case related to the ambitious program. Hindayana was arrested shortly after his dismissal.

The program aimed to deliver on a key campaign promise of President Prabowo Subianto, promising to fight malnutrition by feeding nearly 90 million children and pregnant women. But it has come under steep criticism due to high costs and cases of food poisoning among schoolchildren, in addition to corruption allegations.

Deyang wrote on Facebook that she was resigning because needs to undergo heart treatment abroad.

“I also conveyed to the president with my deepest apologies that it seemed I would have to step down as Head of the National Nutrition Agency, for the sake of my health, and because the president was concerned and sympathetic toward me, he agreed, though he asked that I continue to help oversee the agency,” Deyang said on Wednesday.

During Deyang's 45 days as head of the agency, the government reduced the annual budget for the program from 268 trillion rupiah ($15 billion) to 229 trillion rupiah (around $12 billion).

The agency says it has has conducted an evaluation of the recipients of free nutritious meals, emphasizing that its primary focus at this time is not merely to cut the budget, but to make the program’s distribution management more effective and targeted.