Lok Sabha Question No. 1182 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Delay in Allocation of Funds to Kerala under Mid Day Meal Scheme
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Abdul Majeed Ariff, N.K. Premachandran

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

## LOKSABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1182

ANSWERED ON- 11.12.2023

## Delay in Allocation of Funds to Kerala under Mid Day Meal Scheme

## 1182. ADV. A.M. ARIFF: SHRI N.K. PREMACHANDRAN:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to increase the Central share for Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS);
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether it is true that the Central share to States and Union Territories including Kerala is not disbursed in a time bound manner, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the details of the Central share disbursed and pending for eligible States and Union Territories for the financial year 2023-24;
- (e) whether the Government has released the entire amount due to the State of Kerala for implementing the scheme;
- (f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (g) whether it is true that instead of releasing 60 per cent as first instalment of Central share only 25 per cent has been released to Kerala for 2023-2024 and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (h) whether it comes in the notice of the Government that the teachers responsible for implementing the MDMS filed a writ before the High Court of Kerala for releasing the arrears and if so, the details thereof;
- (i) the details of the arrears pending with the Centre and the time by which it will be released;
- (j) whether the Government is aware that Kerala is providing Rs. 600 as honorarium to Mid Day Meal cooks per day, whereas the Centre is providing Rs. 600 per month and the State is bearing the burden of over Rs. 1.50 crore every year; and
- (k) whether the Government proposes to increase the honorarium fixed in 2009?

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a) & (b): The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affair (CCEA) approved continuation of the PM POSHAN Scheme for the five year period 2021-22 to 2025-26 with the financial outlay of ₹ 54061.73 crores from the Central Government and ₹ 31733.17 crore from State Govt. & UT Administrations. Central Government also bears additional cost of about ₹ 45000 crore on food grains through subsidy borne by Department of Food and Public Distribution.

(c) to (i): Under the Scheme, the Programme Approval Board (PAB) - PM POSHAN approves the Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWP&B) submitted by States/UTs including Kerala. The central assistance is released on the basis of approval of PAB-PM POSHAN and subject to compliance of instructions issued from time to time by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. In some cases, release of funds takes time due to late submission of proposals by the States/UTs and incomplete compliance of formalities required for release such as huge unspent balance available with them, delay in transfer of both central and state share by the state treasury to SNA, slow pace of expenditure by States/UTs. The States and UTs wise details of central assistance released for the year 2023-24 is given at Annexure. Fund release for remaining States/UTs can happen when they come up with fulfilled proposals.

Programme Approval Board- PM POSHAN has approved the State's Annual Work Plan & Budget 2023-24 with an outlay of Rs. 478.96 crore in which Central Share is Rs. 303.21 crore and State Share is Rs. 175.75 crore. As on date Rs. 108.34 crore has been released to State Government of Kerala as Central Assistance in addition to Rs. 32.34 crore already available as unspent balance with the State. Further funds will be released as per the extant guidelines.

Earlier, the central assistance was released in two instalments i.e., 60% and 40% under PM POSHAN Scheme. At present, the release of funds under the scheme is subject to the guidelines/instructions issued from time to time by Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. These instructions were issued for better monitoring of availability and utilization of funds released to the States and UTs under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) and with a view to have more effective cash management and bring more efficiency in the public expenditure management. As per the recent instructions issued by Department of Expenditure vide OM dated 09.06.2023, this Ministry is obtaining administrative approval of competent authority and financial concurrence of the Financial Adviser in one go for release of two instalments of not more than 25% each. The next installment will be released upon transfer of the stipulated State Share to the Single Nodal Account (SNA) under Public Financial Management System (PFMS) and utilization of at least 75% of the funds released earlier.

State Government of Kerala has informed that a teacher organization and some Headmasters had filed a Writ Petition (Civil) in Honorable High Court for the timely release of funds to schools. State Government has also filed detailed statement in the case stating that material cost to schools up to the month of October, 2023 and honorarium to CCHs up to the month of November, 2023 have been disbursed.

(j) & (k): Under the Scheme Cook-Cum-Helpers (CCHs) are engaged for preparing and serving hot cooked meals at schools. They are honorary workers who have come forward for rendering social services. As per guidelines of the Scheme, uniform 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. The State Governments and UT Administrations also supplement the honorarium by providing additional funds from their own resources. State Government of Kerala is providing average monthly honorarium of Rs. 12,000 to 13,500 to CCHs engaged by them.

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Annexure referred to in reply to part (c) to (i) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1182 for 11.12.2023 raised by ADV. A.M. ARIFF and SHRI N.K. PREMACHANDRAN, Hon'ble MPs regarding Delay in Allocation of Funds to Kerala under Mid Day Meal Scheme.

Central Assistance released under PM POSHAN Scheme during the financial year 2023-24 (as on 07.12.2023)

(Rs. in Lakh)

| Sl. No.   | State/UT         |     Total |
|-----------|------------------|-----------|
| 1.        | Assam            |  20347.3  |
| 2.        | Goa              |   1363.49 |
| 3.        | Gujarat          |  12326    |
| 4.        | Kerala           |  10833.5  |
| 5.        | Haryana          |   4294.33 |
| 6.        | Himachal Pradesh |   4244.83 |
| 7.        | Jharkhand        |  14832.6  |
| 8.        | Karnataka        |  13519    |
| 9.        | Madhya Pradesh   |  31316.8  |
| 10.       | Meghalaya        |   4738.04 |
| 11.       | Mizoram          |    637.21 |
| 12.       | Nagaland         |   1065.18 |
| 13.       | Odisha           |  24787.6  |
| 14.       | Punjab           |   8739.56 |
| 15.       | Sikkim           |    337.97 |
| 16.       | Tamil Nadu       |   8380.08 |
| 17.       | Tripura          |    959.78 |
| 18.       | Uttar Pradesh    |  19689.1  |
| 19.       | Uttarakhand      |   5169.87 |
| 20.       | Delhi            |   3910.31 |
| 21.       | Ladakh           |    291.4  |
| 22.       | Jammu &Kashmir   |   4589.76 |
| 23.       | Lakshadweep      |     64.44 |
| Total     | Total            | 196438    |