Indonesia‘s ‘Makan Bergizi Gratis’ Program Set to Launch Nationwide on January 6, 2025
Starting Monday, January 6, 2025, Indonesia will roll out its ‘Makan Bergizi Gratis’ (Free Nutritious Meals) program, a presidential initiative aimed at improving the health and well-being of students and pregnant women across the country. The program, spearheaded by President Prabowo Subianto, will be implemented in various regions nationwide, as confirmed by the head of the National Nutrition Agency (Badan Gizi Nasional), Dadan Hindayana.
Dadan revealed that preparations for the program are underway across Indonesia, with the first phase set to commence on January 6, 2025. However, the specific locations of schools that will participate in the program are still under discussion. Minister of Education and Culture, Abdul Mu’ti, acknowledged that the selection process is ongoing, expressing hope that the program will foster a healthy, resilient, and quality-conscious generation while instilling values such as cleanliness, responsibility, independence, and tolerance.
The Indonesian military (TNI) will play a crucial role in the program’s implementation. TNI spokesperson, Major General Hariyanto, announced that the military will assist in three key areas: distributing food supplies to target regions, including remote areas; operating Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG) units to prepare nutritious meals for schools and pregnant women; and monitoring and evaluating the program’s progress to ensure it meets its targets.
To kickstart the program, TNI will launch 100 kitchen locations on January 2, 2025, with a total of 514 sites already prepared on military-owned land. The program requires significant investment, with an estimated daily budget of around IDR 800 billion. If fully implemented, the annual cost would reach approximately IDR 400 trillion. Initially, the government plans to provide 3 million nutritious meals daily for the first three months, increasing to 6 million meals per day from April 2025.
Niken Gandini, from the National Nutrition Agency’s task force, clarified that the program will begin in easily accessible locations before expanding to remote, underdeveloped, and isolated (3T) areas. "This is a universal program, not limited to major cities, but also targeting 3T areas," Niken explained during an online discussion.
The TNI launched 100 kitchen locations for the ‘Makan Bergizi Gratis’ program on January 2, 2025. Major General Hariyanto revealed that TNI has prepared 514 locations on Indonesian Army (AD) land. However, he did not specify the exact locations of the 100 kitchen sites to be launched the following day. The program is set to begin the following week, on Monday, January 6, 2025.
Major General Hariyanto disclosed that 351 Kodim AD, 14 Lamtamal Indonesian Navy (AL), and 41 Lanud Indonesian Air Force (AU) units are involved in supporting the ‘Makan Bergizi Gratis’ program. The number of participating units has been determined based on the government’s priority target areas.
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