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JAKARTA, July 22 (Reuters) - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has appointed long-time party loyalist and deputy agriculture minister Sudaryono as the new head of the agency overseeing his flagship free meals programme after its former chief resigned suddenly on Wednesday.
Sudaryono, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, was inaugurated as the new head of the National Nutrition Agency (NNA) at Jakarta's presidential palace on Wednesday afternoon. He is a senior member of Prabowo's Gerindra Party.
Earlier in the day, former chief Nanik Sudaryati Deyang announced her resignation on health grounds, the second leadership change at the beleaguered government body in just over a month.
Nanik's resignation after just six weeks in office comes after two budget cuts and a criminal investigation into the free meals scheme, which has been dogged by logistical challenges, concerns about quality and several instances of mass food poisoning following its launch in January 2025.
Nanik's predecessor was sacked by Prabowo last month and arrested on corruption charges in connection with the multibillion-dollar programme after a raid at the agency's office.
After his inauguration, Sudaryono pledged to improve governance and said there was "zero tolerance for corruption" in the programme.
"There is indeed a problem in the governance and this is a major challenge... but I and all officials at the agency with the support from all cabinet members will work hard to improve what needs to be improved," he said.
Sudaryono also serves as CEO of Garuda TV, a local broadcast linked to Prabowo, as well as the head of the Indonesian Farmer Association. He said he would step down as deputy agriculture minister soon.
FORMER CHIEF RESIGNS ON HEALTH GROUNDS
In a Facebook post, Nanik said she has resigned to seek treatment overseas for a heart complaint.
"With a thousand apologies I must resign as NNA chief, for my health, and because the president feels sorry for me, he agreed," she said, adding in a separate post that her doctor warned that her arteries were clogged due to extreme stress.
The programme is Prabowo's most important and expensive election campaign pledge, but it has been a key part of wider concerns about Indonesia's fiscal health.
Nanik said in the post that the programme was not a political issue, as some have accused it of being, but was "an intervention measure for children's nutrition."
Her resignation came a day after the agency said that its budget for 2026 had been cut for a second time from 268 trillion rupiah to 229 trillion rupiah ($12.79 billion).
The programme originally aimed to cover 83 million people, consisting of children and pregnant women. Before the review, it had already delivered free meals to 62.5 million people.
More budget cuts are possible, it added, pending a further review.
($1 = 17,903 rupiah)
(Reporting by Stanley Widianto and Ananda Teresia; Editing by David Stanway)
