Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto explained that the budget for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program was IDR 70 trillion which was returned by the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hindayana. Prabowo admitted he was surprised because officials usually spend their budget at the end of the year. This was revealed by Prabowo when he gave a scientific speech during the open senate session of the National University of the Republic of Indonesia (UKRI) at The Trans Luxury Hotel, West Java, Saturday (18/10/2025). Prabowo initially explained that MBG’s budget ceiling at the beginning was IDR 71 trillion. From the efficiency results, it appears that the government saved a budget of IDR 300 trillion. “The budget at the beginning of 2025 is IDR 71 trillion. What we plan is efficiency savings, which I am assisted by the ministers and my team, we can make things more efficient, we eliminate unnecessary things, we travel overseas, all kinds of things, right? This celebration is a celebration, I don’t need to think that every ministry has a celebration. ceremony It’s quite simple We can save quite a lot of these savings approximately IDR 300 trillion,” he said. Prabowo. PAGE TO CONTINUE CONTENT The results of the savings were then re-allocated to the MBG budget of IDR 100 trillion. However, along the way, the head of BGN Dadan returned a budget of IDR 70 trillion. “From IDR 71 trillion, I added IDR 100 trillion, but on the way because it was not easy to build 30 thousand kitchens. In one year, he said: ‘Sir until the end of 2025. In fact, we don’t need it all’, so he (Dadan) returned it to the central government, yes to me he thought of the IDR history 70. Indonesia it almost never happened that officials returned the have no money Usually, officials start spending money from November, looking for activities to spend the budget on. He (Dadan) said, he returned IDR 70 trillion,” he said. Prabowo then allocated the IDR 70 trillion for other activities, such as to towns and fishermen. He praised the attitude of the head of BGN. “So we can use a lot of this IDR 70 trillion to help people who are struggling, to help villages, need help. “So I think we should respect Pak Dadan as a patriot,” he said. “He (Dadan) could have already had a budget, he would have called his team, called his subordinates, ‘Come on, make a project, make a project, make a project’. “No, he has a responsibility to the nation and state and the Indonesian people, give it back, I thank you, I was surprised,” he said. (eva/dhn)
Prabowo explains the MBG budget of IDR 70 trillion returned by the head of BGN
