Lok Sabha Question No. 1960 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-06
Subject: PM-POSHAN Scheme
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Naveen Jindal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1960

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.12.2024

## PM-POSHAN SCHEME

## 1960.  SHRI NAVEEN JINDAL:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has replaced the National Midday Meal Programme with PM-POSHAN Scheme;
- (b) if so, the details of the difference between two schemes;
- (c) the details of the improvement noted in the outcome due to introduction of the new scheme; and
- (d) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to ensure nutritious and affordable food for school going children across the country?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a) to (d) The PM POSHAN scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Education. As per the inputs received from Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government has approved the Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN)' earlier known as 'National Programme for  Mid-Day  Meal  in  Schools'  for  providing  hot  cooked  meal  to  eligible  children  in Government  and  Government  -  aided  Schools  from  2021-22  to  2025-26.  The Government  has  also  approved  following  additional  features  under  PM  POSHAN Scheme:-

- i. Inclusion of Balvatika : The provision of hot cooked meal to children of preschools or Balvatika (before class I) and children studying in classes I to VIII in 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', the States and Union Territories 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 and economic development and 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 disaster impacting the State/Union Territory, part of State/Union Territory, in a State/Union Territory or whole country as may be declared by the State/Central Government under its powers as Disaster Management Authority.

The overall responsibility for smooth functioning of the scheme including providing hot  cooked  and  nutritious  meal  to  the  eligible  children  lies  with  the  State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. The Government of India has issued detailed guidelines on quality, safety and hygiene to ensure serving of good quality  meal  under  the  Scheme  to  all  the  States/UTs.  These  guidelines  are available on official website https://pmposhan.education.gov.in. These guidelines, inter-alia,  provides  for  instructions  to  schools  to  procure  Agmark  quality  and branded items for preparation of meals, training to Cook-cum-Helpers, tasting of meals by 2-3 members of School Management Committee including at least one teacher before serving to children.

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