Govt to Begin Free Nutritious Meal Progam for Pregnant Women on January 20
Reporter
January 9, 2025 | 01:35 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Population and Family Development and the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), will commence a free nutritious meal program for pregnant and breastfeeding women on January 20, 2025. This initiative was confirmed by Minister of Population and Family Development/Head of BKKBN, Wihaji.
“The implementation is scheduled to begin on January 20, God willing,” he told Tempo on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
He emphasized that his ministry has engaged in extensive discussions with the BGN to ensure the successful implementation of this program. A collaborative agreement between the two agencies is currently in the final stages of development, outlining the respective roles and responsibilities in delivering nutritious meals to expectant and nursing mothers.
In the near future, the minister added, this partnership will be finalized through a formal agreement signing ceremony. Furthermore, the government plans to extend this program to include young children, specifically those aged two to five years.
He also assured that the data on eligible recipients for the free nutritious meal program for pregnant and breastfeeding women is currently being finalized. BKKBN is compiling a comprehensive database to facilitate the efficient and targeted distribution of these meals.
According to this Golkar Party politician, the number of pregnant women who will benefit from this program will vary across different regions. “We anticipate that approximately 10 percent of the overall beneficiaries will include pregnant and breastfeeding women, along with toddlers and young children,” he stated.
Minister Wihaji emphasized that the implementation of this program for pregnant women will align with the ongoing free nutritious meal program for students. “We fully support and endorse this comprehensive initiative,” he affirmed.
Although the nationwide rollout is scheduled for January 20, several regions have already begun implementing pilot programs to distribute nutritious meals to pregnant women. One of them was at the Ciracas Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) in Jakarta.
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