DPR Considers Forming Working Committee on Free Nutritious Meal Governance

The House of Representatives (DPR) Commission IX is considering a proposal to form a working committee (panja) on the governance of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) project. The proposal was submitted by MBG Watch during a working meeting on Wednesday, 16 July 2026. Deputy Chairman of Commission IX Charles Honoris stated that the formation of a panja is expected to resolve various governance issues within the MBG programme. Therefore, the proposal will be discussed in an internal commission meeting. “This is very good input,” Charles said at the DPR, MPR, and DPD Complex on Thursday, 16 July 2026. He added that one of the considerations underpinning Commission IX’s support for forming a panja concerns the number of beneficiaries, which is deemed disproportionate to the size of the budget. Based on data presented by the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), the number of MBG beneficiaries should be reduced from 82 million to 26 million in line with needs and objectives. According to Charles, if the original goal of the MBG project is to improve child nutrition and reduce stunting, then not all children should be categorised as beneficiaries. “With the panja, it is hoped that there will be specific and comprehensive measures on how this programme can move forward,” said the PDIP politician. The National Nutrition Agency (BGN), the state body implementing the MBG project, is targeting 82.9 million beneficiaries in 2026. As of June 2026, the number of beneficiaries of the flagship programme of the Prabowo Subianto administration had reached 62.9 million people.