Spotlighting Nutritious Meals Programme, Sahroni Calls for Strict Oversight

The Nutritious Meals Programme has once again come under the spotlight as a strategic step in enhancing the quality of health and human resources in Indonesia. This initiative is deemed not only to fulfil nutritional requirements but also to directly contribute to children’s physical development and learning abilities. On various occasions, the government has affirmed that the nutritious meals programme is designed to reach vulnerable groups, particularly schoolchildren. Deputy Chairman of Commission III of the House of Representatives, Ahmad Sahroni, expressed his support for strengthening the oversight of the Nutritious Meals Programme (MBG) carried out by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). The programme is now jointly supervised by the Attorney General’s Office down to the district and village levels to ensure its implementation proceeds in accordance with regulations. Head of the BGN, Dadan Hindayana, previously stated that this collaboration aims to strengthen field supervision, particularly on the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) spread across various regions of Indonesia. In response, Sahroni deemed this step important because the MBG programme directly touches the basic needs of the community. He emphasised that oversight must be comprehensive and leave no room for potential misuse. “Commission III fully supports the collaboration between the BGN and the Attorney General’s Office in overseeing the MBG programme. This programme is very important because it directly concerns the needs of the community,” said Sahroni. In addition, he also highlighted the importance of proper budget management for the programme. He reminded that the funds used come from the state budget and must be utilised effectively and efficiently for the benefit of the community as the recipients. Furthermore, he asserted that any form of deviation must be firmly addressed. According to him, this is important to maintain public trust and ensure the programme runs according to its objectives. “The funds for the MBG programme must be ensured to be used as effectively and efficiently as possible, for the best benefit of the community. Therefore, if anyone is found to be playing around or misusing it, they must be dealt with firmly with severe punishment,” he added. The Nutritious Meals Programme itself is one of the government’s priorities under the leadership of Prabowo Subianto, aimed at improving the nutritional quality of the community. Therefore, strict oversight is considered key to ensuring the programme’s benefits can be felt evenly without obstacles in the field.