Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Education responded on August 11, 2025, to a question regarding the wages of workers under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Yojana (PM POSHAN) scheme. The scheme provides hot cooked meals to children in government and government-aided schools. The response clarifies the honorarium provided to cook-cum-helpers (CCHs) and the sharing of related expenditures between the Central Government and States/UTs.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Scheme Overview:**
* PM POSHAN is a centrally sponsored scheme providing cooked meals to children in Bal Vatika and classes I-VIII in government and government-aided schools.
* It covers approximately 11 crore children in over 10.35 lakh schools across all States and UTs.
* **Budget Allocation (FY 2025-26):**
* Central Government allocation: Rs. 12,500 crore.
* States/UTs share: Approximately Rs. 7,500 crore (includes funds for CCH honorarium and supplementary nutrition).
* **Responsibilities:**
* State Governments and UT Administrations are responsible for the scheme's smooth functioning, including providing meals and engaging CCHs.
* CCHs are considered honorary workers.
* **Honorarium for Cook-cum-Helpers (CCHs):**
* A monthly honorarium of Rs. 1000 for 10 months a year is prescribed.
* The honorarium expenditure is shared between the Central Government and States/UTs, with a 90:10 sharing pattern for Assam.
* States/UTs can supplement the honorarium using their own resources.
* Assam reported honorarium payments to CCHs up to June 2025.
* **Annexure Details:**
* The annexure provides a detailed breakdown of the honorarium provided to CCHs by each State and UT, including any additional honorarium provided by the respective State/UT.
Impact Analysis:
* **State Governments and UT Administrations:**
* *Impact:* Responsible for the overall implementation and monitoring of the PM POSHAN scheme, including the engagement and payment of honorariums to CCHs. Retain authority to enhance CCH honorariums.
* *Action Required:* Ensure the smooth functioning of the scheme, including timely payment of honorariums to CCHs, and explore the possibility of supplementing the honorarium from their own resources.
* **Cook-cum-Helpers (CCHs):**
* *Impact:* Receive a fixed monthly honorarium, with the potential for additional payments depending on the State/UT's contribution.
* *Action Required:* Continue providing services to ensure children receive nutritious meals, and be aware of the honorarium amount they are entitled to in their specific State/UT.
* **Ministry of Education:**
* *Impact:* Responsible for allocating funds and overseeing the PM POSHAN scheme at the national level.
* *Action Required:* Continue to monitor the implementation of the scheme and ensure funds are disbursed to States/UTs in a timely manner.
Key Entities Referenced
Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman: A Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented in partnership with the States and UTs for providing one hot cooked and nutritious meal to children in Bal Vatika and classes I to VIII.
PM POSHAN: An abbreviation for Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman scheme.
Ministry of Education: The Indian government ministry responsible for education.
Assam: A state in India, specifically mentioned in the context of wage payments under the PM POSHAN scheme.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India, where the question regarding wages of workers under PM Poshan Scheme was raised.
Central Government: The government of India.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India, included in the annexure detailing honorarium for Cook cum Helper.
Arunachal Pradesh: A state in India, included in the annexure detailing honorarium for Cook cum Helper.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 3455
ANSWERED ON- 11.08.2025
Wages of Workers under PM Poshan Scheme
†3455. Shri Parimal Suklabaidya:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government is making payment of wages to the cooks and other attached
staff working in the country especially in Assam under Pradhan Mantri Poshan Yojana
(PM POSHAN);
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) if not, whether the Government proposes to make any arrangement to pay wages/salary
to these workers; and
(d) whether there is any provision for payment of wages/salary to the cooks and workers
working under the scheme in other States/UTs as well and if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)
(a) to (d): 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. 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 overall responsibility for smooth functioning of the scheme including providing hot
cooked and nutritious meal to the eligible children as well as engagement of cook-cum-helpers
(CCHs) lies with the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. However, these
CCHs are honorary workers who have come forward for rendering social services. As per
guidelines of the Scheme, honorarium of Rs. 1000/- per month for 10 months in a year is
prescribed for these CCHs in recognition of their services and the same is being continued. The
honorarium expenditure is shared between the Central Government and States and UTs as per
the approved sharing pattern, including the State of Assam. The sharing pattern between
Central Government and the State Government of Assam is 90:10. The State Governments and
UT Administrations have the authority to enhance the honorarium by providing additional
funds from their own resources and many State Governments and UT Administrations have
supplemented the honorarium by providing additional funds. The State of Assam has reported
that the honorarium to CCH is paid upto June, 2025 under PM POSHAN Scheme. The details
of honorarium provided to CCHs under the PM POSHAN Scheme by the States and UTs
including the State of Assam are given at Annexure.
*****ANNEXURE
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (D) OF LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3455 FOR 11.08.2025 ASKED BY HON’BLE MP SHRI
PARIMAL SUKLABAIDYA REGARDING WAGES OF WORKERS UNDER PM
POSHAN SCHEME.
Honorarium of Cook cum Helper per month
S.No. States/UTs Cooks-cum-Helpers - Additional Honorarium per
Honorarium Per Month month to cook-cum-helpers
(in Rs) provided by States/ UTs (in Rs)
1 Andhra Pradesh 3000 2000
2 Arunachal Pradesh 2000 1000
3 Assam 1500 500
4 Bihar 1650 650
5 Chhattisgarh 2000 1000
6 Goa 1000 0
7 Gujarat 3250 2250
8 Haryana 7000 6000
9 Himachal Pradesh 4500 3500
10 Jharkhand 3000 2000
11 Karnataka 3700 2700
12 Kerala 12000 11000
13 Madhya Pradesh 4000 3000
14 Maharashtra 2500 1500
15 Manipur 1000 0
16 Meghalaya 2000 1000
17 Mizoram 3000 2000
18 Nagaland 1000 0
19 Odisha 2000 1000
20 Punjab 3000 2000
21 Rajasthan 2143 1143
22 Sikkim 1000 0
23 Tamil Nadu 4100-12500 3100-11500
24 Telangana 3000 2000
25 Tripura 2500 1500
26 Uttar Pradesh 2000 1000
27 Uttarakhand 3000 2000
28 West Bengal 2000 1000
29 A&N Islands 1000 0
30 Chandigarh 4500 3500
31 D&N and D & Diu 6461 5461
32 Delhi 1000 0
33 Jammu & Kashmir 1000 0
34 Ladakh 1000 0
35 Lakshadweep 18000-20200 18000-20200
36 Puducherry 10000 9000