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January 20, 2025 | 06:28 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Bima Arya stated that the use of the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD) to support the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, a flagship initiative of President Prabowo Subianto, is voluntary. He emphasized that the allocation of regional budgets for free nutritious meals can be tailored to the fiscal capacity of each regional government.
"It is not mandatory; it depends entirely on the fiscal capacity of each region. That's the key point," Bima said at Jakarta City Hall on Monday, January 20.
Bima explained that regions with strong fiscal capacity typically have significant regional income exceeding the funds transferred from the central government. As an example, he cited Badung Regency in Bali, which has a substantial regional income, making it well-positioned to support funding for free nutritious meals.
The National Mandate Party politician highlighted that such budget allocations could bring long-term benefits to the regions, particularly in boosting economic growth. "This program not only addresses nutritional needs but also stimulates regional economies," he added.
Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian previously announced that free nutritious meals would utilize funds from the APBD. He revealed that 413 regencies and 93 cities across all provinces had expressed interest in participating in President Prabowo's flagship program.
Tito mentioned that the Ministry of Home Affairs would assess the fiscal capacity of each region interested in joining the initiative. He noted that a virtual meeting with regional secretaries had already taken place, and some regions had begun allocating funds in their APBD for the program.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, an estimated 2,000 to 4,000 Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) are expected to be established by September, with a combined budget of Rp4.8 trillion. This includes Rp2.3 trillion from district/city budgets and Rp2.5 trillion from provincial budgets. "With this allocation, we can build approximately 4,000 service units in schools," Tito stated.
These efforts aim to address the limited allocation of the State Budget (APBN) for the MBG program. Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan, also known as Zulhas, previously disclosed that the current MBG program budget of Rp71 trillion would only last until June 2025. Furthermore, the available funds are insufficient to cover all schoolchildren in Indonesia.
Oyuk Ivani Siagian dan Eka Yudha Saputra contributed to the writing of this article.
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