The Deputy Chair of Commission IX of the DPR, Charles Honoris, underlined that the BGN must not only focus on the number of MBG beneficiaries.
"What is most important is the quality of MBG benefits," he said here on Sunday.
He also highlighted the results of the recent meeting between his commission, BGN, and the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), where it was agreed that the BPOM must be actively involved in the supervision of food under the MBG program in all regions.
According to him, BGN, through all the SPPGs spread across Indonesia, must guarantee the health of children.
The MBG program was launched on January 6, 2025, as one of the main initiatives of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka for their 2024–2029 term.
Through the program, the government is aiming to improve the nutritional status of children under five, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and schoolchildren up to the high school level.
Earlier, President Prabowo targeted the number of MBG beneficiaries to reach 20 million before Indonesia's Independence Day commemoration on August 17.
Speaking before political party leaders and state officials in Jakarta on Wednesday (July 23) evening, Prabowo said that he recently received a report indicating that the number of MBG beneficiaries has reached 6.7 million so far.
“The original plan was to reach 20 million beneficiaries by the end of August. But I asked for it to be accelerated. They then reported to me that we might be able to speed it up,” he remarked at the anniversary event of the National Awakening Party (PKB).
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Translator: Bagus Ahmad, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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