MBG Program Will Be Expanded, Social Minister Gus Ipul Proposes Elderly And Disabled To Be Recipients

Illustration of free nutritious food (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf proposed to President Prabowo Subianto that the free nutritious eating program (MBG) also be addressed to the elderly (elderly) and disabled groups which are expected to be realized in 2026.

The proposal was given by Social Minister Saifullah to President Prabowo during a limited meeting at the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Jakarta.

"We also proposed to the President to provide free nutritious food specifically for the elderly and people with disabilities (disabled, ed.). We will investigate again, later we will report on another occasion," said Gus Ipul, Saifullah's nickname, when met after attending a limited meeting at the Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday, November 4 evening.

On the same occasion, Gus Ipul explained that if his proposal was approved by the President and the elderly and the disabled were included in the MBG recipient list, it did not mean that their names were deleted on the list of recipients of social assistance (bansos) which was also distributed by the government.

"No (deleted, ed.). So it means like this, social assistance is part of protection and social security. It is indeed given to those in need, because they must get protection and social security to meet their basic needs, including health insurance," said Gus Ipul.

MBG, which is currently one of President Prabowo's priority programs, was first launched on January 6, 2025 simultaneously in various parts of Indonesia.

The free nutritious food program is currently given to school children, children under five, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers, which are expected to help maintain the nutritional intake of children from the time of pregnancy to the period of growth.

President Prabowo targets that by the end of 2025 the beneficiaries of the MBG program will reach 82.9 million people in 38 provinces. As of the end of October 2025, MBG recipients reached approximately 40 million people spread across 38 provinces and 509 districts/cities.

At the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Indonesia, Tuesday, President Prabowo summoned a number of his ministers for a meeting to discuss community empowerment programs, empowerment of MSMEs, and suitability and inter-empowerment between empowerment programs launched by the government.

The meeting was attended by Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar, and Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno, Minister of Investment and Downstreaming as well as CEO of Danantara Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Brian Yuliarto, Minister of Basic and Secondary Education Abdul Mu'ti, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Maman Abdurrahman, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman.

Then, there are also Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono, Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto, Minister of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers Mukhtarudin, Head of the Agency for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction Budiman Sudjatmiko, Presidential Chief of Staff Muhammad Qodari, Head of the Government Communications Agency Angga Raka Prabowo, Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.