Indonesia is adapting India's welfare programmes to suit its own development priorities
School meals and digital governance emerged as key areas of bilateral cooperation
Prabowo credited Modi's welfare initiatives as models for Indonesia's reforms
India and Indonesia are expanding collaboration on food security and digital infrastructure
When Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a state banquet in Jakarta on Tuesday, one remark stood out.
"I copied many of your programmes," Prabowo said, adding with a smile that he was "glad there was no copyright." During the state banquet hosted for Indian Prime Minister, Prabowo said he had followed Modi's career and openly acknowledged drawing lessons from India's development initiatives because they had proven successful in improving the lives of millions.
The comment was later echoed by India's Secretary (East), Rudrendra Tandon during the Ministry of External Affairs' (MEA) Special Briefing held later on the day. Tandon said Prabowo had told Modi that he had been "copying a lot of the initiatives" undertaken in India's development sector because they appeared to work, joking that "there was no copyright, so no royalties had to be paid."
Far from a throwaway line, the exchange showed a broader theme of Modi's visit. The joint statement identified digital public infrastructure, food security, agriculture, telecommunications and emerging technologies as key areas for deeper cooperation. Modi also highlighted India's experience in school meals and food distribution, saying it was already being shared with Indonesia.
Why India Became A Model
Although India and Indonesia differ in geography and political systems, both govern vast, diverse populations while trying to expand welfare, improve food security and digitise public services.
That common challenge has increasingly made India's large-scale governance programmes a point of reference for Indonesia.
Speaking during the joint press statement, Modi said India had already shared its experience with Indonesia on the Mid-Day Meal Scheme and the Public Distribution System, adding that both countries were now taking that cooperation "to the next level."
School Meals: The Most Visible Example
The clearest example is Indonesia's Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG), or Free Nutritious Meals programme.
India's PM POSHAN scheme, formerly the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, provides cooked meals to millions of schoolchildren with the twin objective of improving nutrition and increasing school attendance.
Indonesia's MBG pursues similar goals but is broader in scope, targeting schoolchildren as well as pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
Rather than replicating India's model, Indonesia has modified it to fit its own administrative and fiscal priorities through the National Nutrition Agency and a centrally coordinated distribution system.
The programme has become one of President Prabowo's flagship welfare initiatives, making it the most direct example of the Indian experience influencing Indonesian policy.
Food Security Beyond School Meals
Prabowo's reference was not limited to school lunches. Modi specifically identified India's Public Distribution System as another programme whose experience had been shared with Indonesia.
India's food distribution network delivers subsidised food grains to millions of beneficiaries through a nationwide system built over decades.
Indonesia faces similar food security challenges but operates through different institutional mechanisms. Instead of reproducing India's architecture, both governments have focused on exchanging policy experience and implementation practices as Indonesia strengthens its own welfare programmes.
Moreover, agriculture and food security are among the key pillars of future cooperation between the nations.
Digital Governance Rather Than Replication
The second area Prabowo appeared to reference was India's digital governance model.
While Indonesia has not adopted India's digital infrastructure wholesale, the two countries agreed during Modi's three-day state visit to expand cooperation in Digital Public Infrastructure, telecommunications, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
India's experience in building population-scale digital systems, including digital identity, public service delivery and payment infrastructure which has increasingly become part of bilateral cooperation.
One practical example already under discussion is the planned linkage between India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Indonesia's QRIS payment system, allowing cross-border digital payments for businesses and travellers.
Rather than copying India's technology, Indonesia is adapting similar principles within its own digital ecosystem.
Adaptation And Improvisation
Prabowo's remark suggested admiration for India's governance experience, but the programmes themselves have not been transplanted unchanged.
Indonesia's welfare initiatives operate through its own institutions, legal framework and budgetary priorities. School meals, digital services and food security programmes have all been redesigned to suit Indonesian conditions while drawing lessons from India's experience in delivering services at scale.
That distinction also emerged during the MEA's special briefing, where officials framed the exchange as one of mutual learning between two populous developing countries pursuing long-term national development goals.
More Than A Diplomatic Compliment
Modi responded to Prabowo's joke during his address to the Parliament of Indonesia.
Referring to the "copyright" remark, he said that "no one can claim copyright over love, affection, friendship and mutual respect."
The agreements signed during Prime Minister Modi's three-day state visit to Indonesia, from food security and agriculture to digital public infrastructure and technology, suggest that the exchange of development ideas between India and Indonesia is moving beyond symbolism.
Rather than copying programmes outright, Jakarta is selectively adapting Indian governance models to its own social, economic and institutional realities.
