45 Days Leading BGN, These Are Nanik S Deyang's Major Steps to Reform the Free Nutritious Meal Programme Before Choosing to Resign
Nanik S Deyang has officially resigned from her position as Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) after approximately one and a half months in the role. Despite her short tenure, Nanik claims to have laid the foundation for reforms to improve the governance of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. She announced her resignation via her personal Facebook account on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, explaining that her decision was due to health conditions requiring treatment abroad.
Before leaving her post, Nanik outlined a number of steps taken during her roughly 45 days leading the BGN. Her main focus was on improving the system, enhancing the quality of the MBG programme’s implementation, and ensuring that aid is genuinely received by the groups that need it.
One of her initial moves was a leadership reshuffle within the National Nutrition Agency. She replaced five echelon I officials originating from various ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), and the Attorney General’s Office. According to Nanik, this step was taken to ensure the BGN is staffed by human resources with competencies suited to their respective fields. In addition to the organisational restructuring, she also formed 11 special teams tasked with carrying out a comprehensive overhaul of the MBG programme’s implementation. These teams were established to handle various aspects, from evaluation and efficiency to policy refinement, to ensure the programme runs more effectively.
During her leadership, Nanik also refocused the target recipients of the Free Nutritious Meal programme. She stated that President Prabowo Subianto had approved prioritising the programme for groups that are truly in need, namely toddlers, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, primary and junior high school students, and students in frontier, outermost, and disadvantaged (3T) regions. This measure was part of an evaluation of the MBG’s implementation to ensure the available budget is utilised in a more targeted manner. Previously, upon first assuming the role of BGN Head in June 2026, Nanik had also emphasised that the government’s focus was no longer on chasing the number of beneficiaries, but rather on improving the quality of the programme’s execution.