TKN Prabowo-Gibran Predicts Free Lunch Program Jangkau 82.9 Million Recipients In 2029

Vice Presidential Candidate number 2 Gibran Rakabuming Raka (right) distributed boxed milk to students at the Asshidiqiyah Islamic Boarding School in Tangerang, Monday (4/12/2023). (ANTARA PHOTO/Muhammad Iqbal)

JAKARTA - The head of the Prabowo Gibran National Campaign Team Communication Team (TKN), Budisatrio Djiwandono, estimates that the Prabowo-Gibran pair's free lunch program will be received by 82.9 million people by 2029.

Budisatrio said that if the Prabowo-Gibran candidate pair wins the 2024 presidential election, the program will start rolling in 2024.

"In our calculations, the target of 82.9 million beneficiaries of this program can only be achieved in 2029. So we have time to prepare the budget, both from efficiency, increasing budget revenue, or other sources," Budisatrio said in his statement, Monday, December 4.

For its source of financing, Budisatrio said there was a new budget post allocated for the free lunch program.

On the same occasion, he again denied any plans to divert the already running welfare program budget post to the free lunch program.

"If Pak Prabowo is elected in 2024, there will not necessarily be a big budget in 2025. Everything will be done gradually. There is a priority scale," he said.

Budisatrio continued that all previous government policies that were beneficial for the community were resumed by the Prabowo-Gibran pair.

"The commitment of Prabowo-Gibran as the only candidate pair that carries development sustainability is very clear. All existing government policies and directly touch the needs of the community; such as KIP, KIS, Social Assistance, PKH, we will continue. In the future, we will add more free lunch programs," said Budisatrio.

In addition, Budisatrio assessed, this program has a positive domino effect on the economic side because the supply for this program comes from local MSMEs.

While nutrition for pregnant women and children under 1,000 days of age will ease the burden and worry of mothers about the nutritional adequacy of their loved ones. This is just direct benefits, while the long-term benefits will be even more," said Budisatrio.