BGN Chief: Free Nutritious Meal Budget Does Not Disrupt Other Ministries' Allocations

Jakarta – The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has clarified public concerns regarding the budget allocation for the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG), which has been claimed to potentially disrupt allocations to other ministries.

BGN Chief Dadan Hindayana explained that for the group comprising pregnant women, nursing mothers, and toddlers, budget allocation falls within the health function expenditure classification.

For 2026, there is a budget of Rp24 trillion classified under the health function by BGN. However, Hindayana assured that this budget does not disrupt the budget allocation of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes).

“There is a BGN budget of Rp24 trillion within the health function, but it does not disrupt the Health Ministry’s budget. This is evident from the Health Ministry’s budget increasing year-on-year, even with Rp24 trillion allocated to the health function carried out by the National Nutrition Agency in 2026,” Dadan said in a written statement quoted on Monday, 2 March 2026.

Similarly, BGN has assured that education allocations do not reduce the budget allocation of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) or the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek).

“The budget for school-age children, including Islamic boarding school students and other religious educational institutions, falls within the education function expenditure classification. Therefore, there is a Rp223 trillion education budget, but it does not disrupt the allocation from the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education because the budget has increased year-on-year. It does not disrupt the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology because the budget has also increased from last year to this year,” Dadan added.

Additionally, Dadan assured that centre-to-regional transfers for teacher allowances continue to increase, rising by nearly 10 per cent compared to the previous year.

“Furthermore, centre-to-regional transfers for teacher allowances are not disrupted because the budget has increased by 10 per cent from last year to this year,” he stated.

Previously, Cabinet Secretary (Seskab) Teddy Indra Wijaya rejected the narrative claiming that the free nutritious meal programme (MBG) was cutting education funding. He stressed that this narrative was incorrect and inconsistent with the facts.

“So, previously, a small group of people stated that the free nutritious meal programme was reducing education programmes and budgets, resulting in schools being neglected and teachers not being supported. I want to address this as an incorrect narrative,” Teddy told journalists at the Presidential Palace Complex on Friday, 27 February 2026.