Published on: April 11, 2025

PM-POSHAN

PM-POSHAN

NEWS – Centre to Pay More for PM-POSHAN Scheme in Schools

HIGHLIGHTS

Increased Funding & Material Costs

  • Material cost for cooking hot meals increased by 9.5%, due to inflation adjustment.
  • Additional ₹954 crore burden on the Centre for FY 2025-26.
  • Revised daily rates (from May 1, 2025):
    • Bal Vatikas & Primary: ₹6.19 → ₹6.78 per student.
    • Upper Primary: ₹9.29 → ₹10.17 per student.
  • These are minimum mandatory rates; States/UTs may contribute more from their own funds.

Meal Provisions for Students

  • Bal Vatikas & Primary:
    • 20g pulses, 50g vegetables, 5g oil.
  • Upper Primary:
    • 30g pulses, 75g vegetables, 7.5g oil.
  • Scheme serves 11.2 crore students across 10.36 lakh schools on all school days.

Centre’s Contribution

  • 26 lakh tonnes of foodgrains supplied via Food Corporation of India (FCI).
  • Centre bears:
    • 100% cost of foodgrains (~₹9,000 crore/year).
    • 100% transportation cost from FCI to schools.
  • Total per-meal cost:
    • ₹12.13 for Bal Vatikas & Primary.
    • ₹17.62 for Upper Primary.

PM-POSHAN SCHEME

Background

  • Launched: September 2021 (replaced Mid-Day Meal Scheme).
  • Official Name: Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN).
  • Duration: 2021–22 to 2025–26.
  • Financial outlay: ₹1.31 trillion.

Key Features

Coverage

  • For students in:
    • Primary (1–5): 100g foodgrains/day.
    • Upper Primary (6–8): 150g foodgrains/day.
    • Bal Vatikas (pre-primary, age 3–5).
  • Minimum of 700 calories ensured per child per day.

Nutritional Gardens

  • Promotion of school nutrition gardens.
  • Involvement of FPOs and Women Self Help Groups.

Supplementary Nutrition

  • For aspirational districts and areas with high anaemia.
  • Centre now allows inclusion of items like milk and eggs in meals.

Tithi Bhojan

  • Community participation initiative.
  • Special meals provided on festivals or special occasions.

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)

  • States/UTs to adopt DBT for:
    • Payments to cooks and helpers.
    • Ensures transparency and eliminates leakages.

Nutrition Expert in Schools

  • Appointment of a nutrition expert per school.
  • Monitors BMI, weight, haemoglobin levels of students.

Social Audit

  • Mandatory social audit of the scheme in each school/state.
  • Ensures accountability and tracks implementation.