Lok Sabha Question No. 50 (STARRED), answered on 2023-02-06
Subject: Progress of PM POSHAN
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Amol Ramsing Kolhe, Supriya Sadanand Sule

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO-50

ANSWERED ON - 06.02.2023

## PROGRESS OF PM POSHAN

## *50.  DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE: SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the  current  status  of  the  progress  of  Pradhan  Mantri  Poshan  Shakti  Nirman  (PM POSHAN) along with total fund used up by the scheme till now;
- (b) whether inclusion of eggs in the meal have been envisaged by the Government yet;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, other alternative for eggs as a regular form of protein to children under POSHAN Scheme;
- (d) whether the Government has taken steps to provide at least one complete nutritious meal a day to poor children;
- (e) the States that have included eggs in mid-day meals for children and the number of days in a month these are being served;
- (f) the number of girl students particularly from SC/ST category benefitted by this scheme since  its  inception  in  all  the  States  especially  in  Maharashtra  and  Andaman  &  Nicobar; and
- (g) the  other  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  improve  the  nutrition  standards  of  school children?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF EDUCATION

## (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

- (a) to (g): A statement is laid on the table of the House.

Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (g) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 50 for  06.02.2023 raised by Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe & Shrimati Supriya Sule, Hon'ble MPs regarding Progress of PM POSHAN.

- (a): Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) is one of the foremost rights based Centrally Sponsored Schemes under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA). The Scheme covers about 12.21 crore children studying in Bal Vatika and Classes I-VIII in 10.84 lakh Government and Government-Aided schools.  So far, Rs. 6789.06 crore has been released to States and UTs during 2022-23 for implementation of Scheme.
- (b)  to  (e):  As  per  the  provisions  of  National  Food  Security  Act  (NFSA),  2013,  children studying in classes I-VIII or within the age group of 6-14 years are entitled to one mid day meal free of charge, every day except on school holidays, in all Government and Government aided schools so as to meet nutritional standards specified in the Act. Accordingly, one hot cooked meal is provided to eligible children on all working school days under PM POSHAN Scheme.  The following nutritional content is prescribed in the Scheme:

| Components   | Primary   | Upper Primary   |
|--------------|-----------|-----------------|
| Calories     | 450 Cal   | 700 Cal         |
| Protein      | 12 gms.   | 20 gms.         |

The above nutritional norms are met by providing the following food items to the children of primary and upper primary classes under the scheme:

| S.   | Items                                   | Primary Stage       | Upper Primary Stage   |
|------|-----------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
| No.  |                                         | Food norms (in gms) | Food norms (in gms)   |
| 1.   | Foodgrains (Rice / Wheat/Coarse grains) | 100                 | 150                   |
| 2.   | Pulses                                  | 20                  | 30                    |
| 3.   | Vegetables (Leafy& Others)              | 50                  | 75                    |
| 4.   | Oil &Fat                                | 5                   | 7.5                   |
| 5.   | Salt &Condiments                        | As per need         | As per need           |

PM POSHAN Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme implemented in partnership with the States and UTs. The overall responsibilities for providing cooked and nutritious meal to the eligible  children  lies  with  the  State  Governments  and  Union  Territory  Administrations  in accordance with the Guidelines laid down by the Central Government. The States and UTs fix  their  menu  according  to  their  local  needs,  in  order  to  meet  the  prescribed  nutritional content.  Some States and UTs provide eggs as additional item with their own resources.  The details of these States/UTs are attached at Annexure.

(f):  PM  POSHAN Scheme is implemented across the country  including Maharashtra and Andaman & Nicobar covering all the eligible children without any discrimination of gender and social class. The Scheme covers about 12.21 crore children studying in Bal Vatika and Classes I-VIII in 10.84 lakh Government and Government-Aided schools.

(g):  In  addition  to  providing  one  hot  cooked  meal  under  the  Scheme,  the  following interventions are also being made to improve the nutrition standards of eligible children:

- Tithi  Bhojan:  The  concept  of  Tithi  Bhojan  is  being  encouraged  extensively.    Tithi Bhojan is a community participation programme in which people provide special food to children on special occasions/festivals in addition to regular meals.
- School Nutrition Gardens: Efforts are being made to promote development of School Nutrition  Gardens  in  schools  to  give  children  first  hand  experience  with  nature  and gardening.
- Supplementary  Nutrition:  Appropriate  provision  is  being  made  under  flexibility component  for  supplementary  nutrition  in  districts  with  identified  high  cases  of malnutrition etc.
- Some States and UTs provide additional items such as milk, egg, fruits etc. to students from their own resources.

*****

Annexure

Statement referred to in reply to parts (b) to (e) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 50 for  06.02.2023 raised by Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe & Shrimati Supriya Sule, Hon'ble MPs regarding Progress of PM POSHAN.

## Eggs as Additional items provided by the States/UTs

|   S No | State/UT       | Name of Food Item                                            | Frequency        |
|--------|----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|------------------|
|      1 | Andhra Pradesh | Egg                                                          | 5 days in a week |
|      2 | Bihar          | Egg                                                          | Once in a week   |
|      3 | Jharkhand      | Egg/Seasonal Fruit                                           | Twice in a week  |
|      4 | Kerala         | Boiled Egg/banana                                            | Once in a week   |
|      5 | Mizoram        | Vegetable, Fruits, Eggs, Milk                                | Once in a week   |
|      6 | Orissa         | Egg                                                          | Twice in a week  |
|      7 | Tamil Nadu     | Egg/ Banana                                                  | Daily            |
|      8 | Telangana      | Egg                                                          | Thrice in a week |
|      9 | Uttarakhand    | EGG/Fruits/Milk/gudpapdi/ramdanakeladu                       | Once in a week   |
|     10 | West Bengal    | Egg, Cheese, Mushroom                                        | Once in a week   |
|     11 | A&N Islands    | Boiled Egg                                                   | Thrice in a week |
|     12 | Ladakh         | EGG/Fruits/Milk/gudpapdi/ramdanakeladu                       | Once in a week   |
|     13 | Lakshadweep    | Egg, Fish, Chicken, Apple, Mango, Banana, Orange,Water melon | Twice in a week  |
|     14 | Puducherry     | Egg                                                          | Twice in a week  |