Lok Sabha Question No. 303 (STARRED), answered on 2021-12-20
Subject: Funds for Mid Day Meal Scheme
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Kripanath Mallah

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 303 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2021

## Funds for Mid Day Meal Scheme

## *303. SHRI KRIPANATH MALLAH:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the salient features of the Mid Day Meal Scheme;
- (b) the details of the funds sanctioned, allocated and utilised under this scheme in Assam during the last three years and the current year;
- (c) the details of the targets set and achievements made so far;
- (d) whether the Government has planned to provide monetary assistance to the beneficiaries of Mid Day Meal Scheme; and
- (e) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  target  and  the  time  by  which  it  is  likely  to  be implemented?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

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

Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (e) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 303 for  20.12.2021  raised  by  Shri  Kripanath  Mallah,  Hon'ble  MP  regarding  Funds  for  Mid Day Meal Scheme.

- (a):   Pradhan  Mantri  Poshan  Shakti  Nirman  (PM  POSHAN)  earlier  known  as  the  National Programme  of  Mid-Day  Meal  in  Schools  is  one  of  the  foremost  rights  based  Centrally Sponsored  Schemes  under  the  National  Food  Security  Act,  2013  (NFSA).  The  primary objective  of  the  scheme  is  to  provide  one  hot  cooked  meal  in  order  to  improve  the nutritional  status  of  eligible  children  studying  in  Government  and  Government-aided Schools.  The  Government  approved  continuation  of  the  Scheme  for  the  five  year  period 2021-22  to  2025-26  with  the  financial  outlay  of  Rs.  54061.73  crores  from  the  Central Government and Rs. 31733.17 crore from State Government &  Union Territory Administrations.  Further, Central Government will also bear additional cost of about Rs. 45000 crore on foodgrains through subsidy. Nutrition and food norms under the scheme are as below:

| S. N.                               | Items                               | Primary                             | Upper Primary                       |
|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| A) Nutrition norm per child per day | A) Nutrition norm per child per day | A) Nutrition norm per child per day | A) Nutrition norm per child per day |
| 1.                                  | Calorie                             | 450                                 | 700                                 |
| 2.                                  | Protein                             | 12 gms                              | 20 gms                              |
| B) Food norms per child per day     | B) Food norms per child per day     | B) Food norms per child per day     | B) Food norms per child per day     |
| 1.                                  | Food grains                         | 100 gms                             | 150 gms                             |
| 2.                                  | Pulses                              | 20 gms                              | 30 gms                              |
| 3.                                  | Vegetables                          | 50 gms                              | 75 gms                              |
| 4.                                  | Oil &fat                            | 5 gms                               | 7.5 gms                             |
| 5.                                  | Salt &condiments                    | As per need                         | As per need                         |

The salient features of the scheme are as under:

- (i) Inclusion of Balvatika : The Government has approved the provision of hot cooked meal to children of pre-schools or Balvatika (before class I) in primary schools also, in  addition  to  the  11.80  crore  children  of  classes  I  to  VIII  studying  in  11.20  lakh Government and Government-aided schools.
- (ii) Tithi  Bhojan :  Tithi  Bhojan  is  a  community  participation  programme  in  which people provide special food to children on special occasions/festivals in addition to regular meal.
- (iii) School  Nutrition  Gardens :  Under  the  Scheme,  development  of  School  Nutrition Gardens in schools is being promoted, to give children first hand experience with nature and gardening.
- (iv) Social  Audit :  Social  Audit  in  all  districts  is  made  mandatory  under  the  Scheme. Social Audit is collective monitoring of a scheme by people's active involvement covering issues of equity, equality and expenditure management.
- (v) Vocal for local : Under 'Vocal for local' 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. from Farmers' Producers Organizations, Federation of Women's Self-Help Groups etc. so as to promote local employment generation and economic development while simultaneously improving the nutrition standards.
- (vi) Special  Focus :  Adequate  provision  for  supplementary  nutrition  in  aspirational districts / tribal districts / districts with identified high cases of malnutrition etc.
- (vii) Disaster Management : 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) : The funds allocated/released and utilized during the last three years and funds approved in current year for Assam are given as under:

(Rs. in Crore)

| 2018-19                   | 2018-19        | 2019-20                   | 2019-20        | 2020-21                   | 2020-21        | 2021-22        |
|---------------------------|----------------|---------------------------|----------------|---------------------------|----------------|----------------|
| Funds allocated/ released | Funds utilized | Funds allocated/ released | Funds utilized | Funds allocated/ released | Funds utilized | Funds approved |
| 555.55                    | 535.32         | 573.48                    | 560.24         | 770.28                    | 764.69         | 747.96         |

- (c) : The details of the budget allocation and funds released under the Scheme during the last three years are as under:

(Rs. in Crore)

| 2018-19    | 2018-19       | 2019-20    | 2019-20       | 2020-21    | 2020-21       |
|------------|---------------|------------|---------------|------------|---------------|
| Allocation | Fund released | Allocation | Fund released | Allocation | Fund released |
| 9947.74    | 9518.08       | 9912.21    | 9705.94       | 12900.00   | 12882.11      |

- (d) & (e):  As  per  the  provisions  of  Section  5  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 schools run by local bodies,  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.  However,  during  the  current pandemic,  since  schools  were  closed,  all  enrolled  children  are  given  Food  Security Allowance comprising of food grains and cooking cost as Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) or in  the  form  of  dry  ration  by  States  and  Union  Territory  during  2020-21  and  2021-22. Further, for summer vacation period as special welfare measure States and Union Territory were also advised to provide monetary assistance through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of cooking  cost  component  of the  Scheme to  all  eligible  children.As  States  and  Union Territory are progressively reopening schools, they are advised to resume provision of hot cooked  meal  to  eligible  children  attending  schools  by  strictly  adhering  to  the  prevalent COVID protocols and social distancing norms as prescribed by the Competent Authority.

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