PM-POSHAN Scheme

About PM-POSHAN Scheme

• The PM-POSHAN Scheme, formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, is a centrally sponsored scheme implemented by the Ministry of Education.
• It aims to provide one hot cooked meal per school day to 20 crore children studying in Balvatikas (pre-primary), and Classes 1 to 8 across 10.36 lakh government and government-aided schools.
• The scheme addresses twin objectives:
  • Enhancing nutritional status of school-going children.
  • Improving enrollment, retention, and attendance in schools, especially among disadvantaged children.
• The revised material cost per student per day is:
  • ₹6.78 for Balvatika and Primary students (up from ₹6.19).
  • ₹10.17 for Upper Primary students (up from ₹9.29).
• These rates represent the minimum mandatory contribution. However, States and Union Territories can contribute more from their budgets to provide meals with higher nutritional value.
• Nutritional norms under PM-POSHAN include:
  • For Balvatika and Primary classes: 20g pulses, 50g vegetables, and 5g oil.
  • For Upper Primary classes: 30g pulses, 75g vegetables, and 7.5g oil.
• The Labour Bureau under the Ministry of Labour supplies data on inflation for the items in the PM-POSHAN meal basket. This data is based on the Consumer Price Index – Rural Labourers (CPI-RL), calculated from 600 sample villages across 20 States.
• POSHAN Abhiyan is managed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and aims to improve nutrition among adolescent girls, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children (0–6 years).
• Mission POSHAN 2.0, launched in 2021, merged POSHAN Abhiyan and the Supplementary Nutrition Programme to streamline efforts under one unified framework.
• Funding Pattern under POSHAN Abhiyan:
  • 60:40 between Centre and States/UTs with legislature.
  • 90:10 for the Northeastern and Himalayan States.
  • 100% central funding for UTs without legislature