Finance Minister Purbaya Forms Special Team to Oversee Free Nutritious Meal Programme in Regions

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has formed a special team to oversee the use of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme budget in all regions. The supervision will involve the ranks of the Directorate General of Treasury (DJPb) and the Directorate General of State Assets (DJKN) spread across every district and city. “So the supervision will be more structured, and the ones doing the monitoring are not the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) itself, but my office. We will not collude. If the BGN monitors itself, there is a vested interest,” Purbaya said during a media briefing in Jakarta on Friday. The team will begin operations next week. Evaluations of the operations and budget absorption of the MBG in the field will be conducted periodically every two months. Purbaya stressed that the government will not tolerate Nutritional Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) proven to be problematic in implementing the programme. Going forward, he hopes the synergy between the Ministry of Finance and the National Nutrition Agency will grow stronger. In addition to strengthening oversight, the Ministry of Finance is also ready to provide human resource support in finance should the BGN require assistance in budget management. The plan to form the oversight team emerged after BGN Head Nanik S. Deyang met with Minister Purbaya and conveyed that there were still obstacles in conducting supervision in the regions.