Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Polri), General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, left for Lampung province on Monday to break ground for the construction of 20 police-run special kitchens for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.
In a written statement released on Monday, he said that the development of the kitchens, or nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPGs), reflects the police’s commitment to supporting President Prabowo Subianto’s initiative.
The Polri chief informed that the 20 SPPGs will be operated by the Lampung Regional Police and cater to the nutritional needs of thousands of beneficiaries.
The Polri chief earlier revealed that his institution has initiated the development of 195 MBG kitchens nationwide so far, with some still in the construction or verification stage.
“We hope that the 195 SPPGs will be able to cover 682 thousand beneficiaries and create job opportunities for 9,570 residents,” he said during the inauguration of 28 police-run SPPGs in Depok city, West Java, on July 17, 2025.
Meanwhile, Prabowo informed on July 23 that he is targeting the MBG program to reach at least 20 million recipients before Indonesia’s 80th Independence anniversary on August 17 this year.
In the presence of state officials and political party leaders in Jakarta that night, he pointed to a report indicating that approximately 6.7 million residents have benefited from the program.
He added that the initial target was to reach the 20-million mark by the end of August, but a team tasked with managing the program indicated the possibility of the goal being achieved sooner.
However, he warned stakeholders against speeding up things at the expense of quality, noting that the program’s proper implementation would require adequate training for its day-to-day executors, which would take time.
Translator: Bagus A, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
