Fact Check: Did Indonesia Cut Social Assistance for the Free Meals Program?

August 6, 2026 | 07:51 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A Facebook post (account 1 [archive], account 2) claims that the Indonesian government has officially eliminated several social assistance and social security programs. It is alleged that all social assistance funds have been diverted to finance the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) project.

The programs claimed to have been eliminated include Direct Cash Assistance (BLT), the Family Hope Program (PKH), Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT), the Social Security Agency (BPJS), the Smart Indonesia Card (KIP), and the Smart Indonesia Program (PIP).

Is it true that the government has eliminated all these social assistance programs and BPJS?

FACT CHECK

Tempo verified this content by searching for credible information via search engines. The results show that, although the MBG project draws a substantial budget from the State Budget (APBN), the government continues to allocate funds for social assistance.

The MBG budget of Rp223.5 trillion was drawn from the education allocation within the 2026 State Budget. This policy prompted a legal challenge filed by several civil society organizations and figures with the Constitutional Court (MK) on March 10, 2026. In its ruling on July 30, 2026, the Constitutional Court partially granted the petition and mandated that the MBG budget be separated from the education budget in the 2028 State Budget.

2026 Social Protection Budget

The social protection program budget for 2026 is set at Rp508.2 trillion. This represents an increase of Rp40.1 trillion—or 8.6 percent—compared to the 2025 budget of Rp468.1 trillion. The budget is divided into three components: meeting basic needs, education services, and healthcare services combined with community empowerment.

The breakdown of the social protection program budget is as follows:

- Direct Cash Assistance (BLT) for 1.8 million families: Rp6.5 trillion.

- Family Hope Program (PKH) for 10 million recipient families: Rp28.7 trillion.

- Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) for 18.3 million families: Rp43.8 trillion.

- Social Health Insurance (BPJS) coverage for 96.8 million families: Rp15.5 trillion.

- Smart Indonesia Card (KIP) for university students (target: 1.2 million students): Rp17 trillion.

- Smart Indonesia Program (PIP) for school students (target: 21.1 million students): Rp15.5 trillion.

Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf stated that the third-quarter disbursements for PKH and BPNT would begin on July 20, 2026. Meanwhile, the distribution of 2026 PIP funds is divided into three periods: February–April, May–September, and October–December.

Controversy Surrounding the Deactivation of BPJS Beneficiaries

Although the government is continuing the BPJS contribution subsidy program (PBI BPJS), its implementation this year has come under scrutiny. The government deactivated 11 million PBI BPJS participants in February 2026. This suspension affected care for kidney failure patients requiring dialysis. The Indonesian Dialysis Patient Community reported that 200 patients were stranded at hospital registration counters due to the revocation of their membership status.

The Ministry of Social Affairs stated that the deactivation was based on updates to the National Socio-Economic Single Data (DTSE). Participants were deemed ineligible because they had passed away, held status as civil servants (ASN) or military/police personnel (TNI/Polri), or fell into the category of being financially capable. As of May 2026, the Ministry of Social Affairs had reactivated only around 2 million PBI BPJS beneficiaries.

CONCLUSION

The claim that President Prabowo and the Ministry of Social Affairs have officially abolished BLT, PKH, BPNT, BPJS, KIP, and PIP because their entire budgets were diverted to the MBG project is false.

Research indicates that there is no official government decision to eliminate these programs. PKH, BPNT, BPJS, KIP, and PIP remain part of the social protection program.

TEMPO FACT CHECK TEAM

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