Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Education addresses Lok Sabha questions regarding the PM Poshan Scheme, a centrally sponsored scheme providing hot cooked meals to children in government and aided schools. The response details measures to ensure nutritional continuity, revisions to material costs based on the Consumer Price Index Rural Laborers (CPIRL) index, infrastructure provisions, FY 2024-25 fund releases, and the possibility of providing breakfast under the scheme. The overall budget allocation for the PM Poshan Scheme for FY 2025-26 is more than Rs. 30,000 crore including more than Rs. 21,500 crore made available by Government of India.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Scheme Overview:**
* PM Poshan Scheme provides hot cooked meals to children in Bal Vatika and classes I-VIII in government and aided schools.
* The scheme covers approximately 11 crore children in over 10.35 lakh schools.
* State Governments and UT Administrations hold overall responsibility for providing meals.
* **Financial Aspects:**
* Budget allocation for FY 2025-26 is Rs. 12,500 crore from the Government of India, with approximately Rs. 7,500 crore from States/UTs.
* Central Government provides 100% assistance for foodgrains, transportation, and Management Monitoring Evaluation (MME) costs.
* Foodgrain allocation by Government of India is 24.15 lakh MTs which costs around Rs. 9000 crore.
* Material cost, Cook-cum-Helpers (CCH) honorarium, and kitchen infrastructure costs are shared between the Centre and States/UTs.
* Material costs have been revised based on the Consumer Price Index Rural Laborers (CPIRL) index.
* 5% of the recurring budget is a flexi component for School Nutrition Gardens and supplementary nutrition.
* **Nutritional Standards and Menu:**
* Nutritional and food norms are prescribed under the scheme.
* States/UTs are encouraged to decide menus based on local conditions and procure local food items.
* Hot cooked meals or Food Security Allowance are provided when schools are closed due to disasters.
* **Infrastructure and Manpower:**
* The scheme provides for construction/repair of Kitchen-cum-Stores (KCS) and engagement of Cook-cum-Helpers (CCHs).
* Over 24 lakh CCHs are engaged, with over 90% being women.
* More than 97,000 Kitchen-cum-Stores (KCS) have been constructed.
* Extension of CCHs and kitchen infrastructure is possible with increased student enrollment.
* **Breakfast Provision:**
* States/UTs have the flexibility to provide breakfast and additional nutrients.
* **Funds Released:**
* State-wise details of central assistance released during FY 2024-25 are provided in Annexure II.
Impact Analysis:
* **State Governments and Union Territory Administrations:**
* Impact: Responsible for providing hot cooked meals, managing the scheme's functioning, and engaging Cook-cum-Helpers.
* Action Required: Ensure the provision of nutritious meals, utilize funds effectively, decide menus based on local conditions, and manage infrastructure.
* **Schools:**
* Impact: Implementing agencies for providing meals to eligible children.
* Action Required: Ensure meals are provided as per guidelines and nutritional norms, manage kitchen infrastructure, and engage with Cook-cum-Helpers.
* **Students:**
* Impact: Beneficiaries of the scheme, receiving nutritious meals to support their education and well-being.
* Action Required: Consume the provided meals to benefit from the nutritional support.
* **Cook-cum-Helpers (CCHs):**
* Impact: Engaged in preparing and serving meals, contributing to the scheme's success.
* Action Required: Prepare and serve meals following hygiene standards and menu guidelines.
Key Entities Referenced
PM Poshan Scheme: Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman PM POSHAN Scheme, a centrally sponsored scheme to provide hot cooked meals to children in government and government-aided schools.
Ministry of Education: The Government of India's ministry responsible for education.
National Food Security Act, 2013: An Act of the Parliament of India which aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two-thirds of the country's population.
Consumer Price Index Rural Laborers: CPIRL index, used for revising material costs under the PM POSHAN Scheme.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India, recipient of central assistance under the PM POSHAN Scheme during FY 2024-25.
Uttar Pradesh: A state in India, recipient of central assistance under the PM POSHAN Scheme during FY 2024-25.
West Bengal: A state in India, recipient of central assistance under the PM POSHAN Scheme during FY 2024-25.
Disaster Management Authority: The authority that can declare a disaster impacting a State/Union Territory or the whole country, which may lead to schools being closed.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION No: 2308
ANSWERED ON- 04/08/2025
Continuing of Nutrition in Affected Schools
2308. Adv Gowaal Kagada Padavi:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) the details of steps being taken by the Government to ensure continuity of nutrition in
affected schools under PM Poshan Scheme;
(b) whether any menu and nutrition standards is being revised in the light of inflation and if so,
the details thereof;
(c) whether any proposal to extend kitchen infrastructure and manpower, if so, the details
thereof;
(d) the details of funds released to each State/UT during FY 2024-25 under this scheme; and
(e) whether the Government proposes to provide morning meal or breakfast under the scheme
and if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)
(a): Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) Scheme is one of the foremost
rights based Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented in partnership with the States and UTs
for providing one hot cooked and nutritious meal to all children studying in Bal Vatika (just
before class-I) and classes I to VIII of Government and Government-aided schools. The
Scheme covers about 11 crore children in more than 10.35 lakh schools in all the States/ UTs.
The overall responsibility for providing hot cooked and nutritious meal to the eligible children
lies with the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. For FY 2025-26, budget
allocation for the PM Poshan Scheme is Rs. 12,500 crore by Government of India and the State/
UT share as per the sharing pattern is around Rs. 7,500 crore including additional funds for
Honorarium to Cook-cum-Helpers and Supplementary Nutrition items.
The extant guidelines of the Scheme ensure provision of hot cooked meal or Food Security
Allowance to children when schools are closed due to a disaster impacting the State/ Union
Territory, part of State/ Union Territory, some States/ Union Territory or whole country as
maybe declared by the State/Central Government under its powers as Disaster Management
Authority.(b) & (c): It may be noted that though PM POSHAN is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme,
the Central Government provides 100% assistance for cost of foodgrains, transportation cost
and cost of Management Monitoring & Evaluation (MME). The foodgrain allocation by
Government of India is 24.15 lakh MTs which costs around Rs. 9000 crore. Thus overall
allocation for the PM Poshan Scheme for FY 2025-26 is more than Rs. 30,000 crore including
more than Rs. 21,500 crore made available by Government of India. For the components of
material cost, honorarium to Cook-cum-Helpers (CCH), construction and repairing of Kitchen-
cum-Store and procurement of Kitchen Devices the cost is shared between Centre and States/
UTs as per the approved sharing pattern. The material cost under PM POSHAN Scheme has
been revised recently. The existing rates of material cost have been revised based on Consumer
Price Index - Rural Laborers (CPI-RL) index. There is a provision of 5% of total recurring
budget as the flexi component to be used by the States/ UTs as per their requirement for setting
up of School Nutrition Gardens and provision of Supplementary Nutrition interventions viz.,
Chikki, Eggs, Milk, Fruits and additional food items etc. The States and Union Territory
Administrations are encouraged to decide menu suitable to the local conditions within the
prescribed nutrition and food norms and to procure locally grown food items like millets,
vegetables, condiments etc. As per the provisions of National Food Security Act, 2013 and the
Guidelines of the scheme, the nutritional and food norms prescribed under the scheme are at
Annexure-1.
The overall responsibility for smooth functioning of the Scheme including engagement of
Cook-cum-Helpers lies with the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. PM
Poshan guidelines provide for construction and repair of Kitchen-cum-Stores (KCS) and
engagement of Cook-cum-Helpers (CCHs). It may be noted that more than 24 lakh CCHs are
engaged under the Scheme of whom over 90% are women. Also, more than 97% Kitchen-cum-
Stores (KCS) have been constructed all over India. Few of the States/ UTs are utilizing
Centralized Kitchen facilities to provide hot cooked meals to students. The Scheme, inter-alia,
provides that the Cook-cum-Helpers and kitchen infrastructure may be extended if student
enrolment increases.
(d) & (e): The State-wise details of central assistance released under PM Poshan Scheme
during FY 2024-25 is at Annexure-II. Under the PM POSHAN Scheme one hot cooked
nutritious meal is provided to all eligible children on all school working days, however, States/
UTs are free to provide breakfast and additional nutrients to children.
*****ANNEXURE-I
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (E) OF LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2308 FOR 04.08.2025 RAISED BY ADV GOWAAL
KAGADA PADAVI, HON’BLE MP REGARDING CONTINUING OF NUTRITION IN
AFFECTED SCHOOLS
Nutritional and food norms prescribed under PM Poshan Scheme
For children of Upper Primary
Items For children of Primary classes
classes
A) Nutritional Norms (Per child per day)
Calorie 450 700
Protein 12 gms 20 gms
B) Quantum of Food Norms (Per child per day)
Food-grains 100 gms 150 gms
Pulses 20 gms 30 gms
Vegetables 50 gms 75 gms
Oil & fat 5 gms 7.5 gms
Salt & condiments As per need As per needANNEXURE-II
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (E) OF LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2308 FOR 04.08.2025 RAISED BY ADV GOWAAL
KAGADA PADAVI, HON’BLE MP REGARDING CONTINUING OF NUTRITION IN
AFFECTED SCHOOLS
Central Assistance Released under PM POSHAN Scheme during 2024-25
(Rs. in Lakh)
S. No. States/UTs Central Assistance Released
1 Andhra Pradesh 23907.01
2 Arunachal Pradesh 2621.77
3 Assam 85101.65
4 Bihar 122565.59
5 Chhattisgarh 32204.86
6 Goa 1955.94
7 Gujarat 37215.53
8 Haryana 12166.07
9 Himachal Pradesh 9569.66
10 Jammu & Kashmir 11936.92
11 Jharkhand 35362.22
12 Karnataka 57303.34
13 Kerala 24067.13
14 Madhya Pradesh 66243.41
15 Maharashtra 105407.95
16 Manipur 2823.56
17 Meghalaya 9892.94
18 Mizoram 2661.46
19 Nagaland 2152.26
20 Odisha 50365.64
21 Punjab 18418.41
22 Rajasthan 59787.41
23 Sikkim 785.29
24 Tamil Nadu 45977.69
25 Telangana 11774.82
26 Tripura 6237.31
27 Uttarakhand 12084.24
28 Uttar Pradesh 122464.35
29 West Bengal -----
30 A&N Islands 475.23
31 Chandigarh 1196.21
32 D&NH and Daman & Diu 1168.82
33 Delhi 12894.64
34 Lakshadweep 204.49
35 Ladakh 260.58
36 Puducherry 549.19
989803.59
TOTAL (In Lakh)
TOTAL (In Crore) 9898.04