Lok Sabha Question No. 2145 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-05
Subject: Quality of Food in Mid-Day-Meal Scheme
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Rajeev Rai

## † 2145 Shri Rajeev Rai:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Mid-Day Meal Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Poshan Scheme are one and the same scheme, if so, the basic difference between both these schemes;
- (b) the details of funds allocated and utilized under Mid-Day Meal Scheme during the last five years, State and year-wise;
- (c) the  details  of  quality  norms  of  Mid-Day  Meal  and  the  process  followed  by  the Government to assess and ensure its quality;
- (d) the number of children fell ill and died due to supply of contaminated food under MidDay Meal Scheme during the last five years; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to prevent such incidents?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a):  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 pre-schools 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.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2145 ANSWERED ON 05.08.2024

## Quality of Food in Mid-Day Meal Scheme

- (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.
- (b): The State-wise detail of funds released and utilized under PM POSHAN Scheme during the last five years is given at Annexure-I.
- (c) to (e): 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. The States/UTs are required to conduct Social Audit in all districts in at least 20 schools or 2% of the schools, whichever is higher for each district. Further, the Mid-Day Meal Rules, 2015 provide for mandatory testing of food samples by Government recognized laboratories to ensure that the meals  meet  nutritional  standards  and  quality.  The  Food  Corporation  of  India  (FCI)  is  given responsibility for issue of food grains of best available quality, which will in any case be at least of Fair Average Quality (FAQ). The FCI appoints a Nodal Officer for each State to take care of various  problems  in  supply  of  food  grains  under  the  PM  POSHAN  Scheme.  The  District Collector / CEO of Zila Panchayat ensures that food grains of at least FAQ are lifted after joint inspection by a team consisting of FCI and the nominee of the Collector and/or Chief Executive Officer, District Panchayat, and confirmation by them that the grain conforms to at least FAQ norms.  The  number  of  children  who  fell  ill  due  to  supply  of  contaminated  food  under  PM POSHAN Scheme during the last five years is given at Annexure-II .

*****

Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2145 for 05.08.2024 asked by Shri Rajeev Rai, Hon'ble MP regarding Quality of Food in Mid-Day Meal Scheme.

## Central Assistance Released and Utilized under PM POSHAN Scheme

(

Rs. in Lakh)

| S.                               |                                  | Released   | Utilization   | Released   | Utilization   | Released   | Utilization   | Released          | Utilization     | Released   |
|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|------------|---------------|------------|---------------|------------|---------------|-------------------|-----------------|------------|
| no.                              | States/UTs                       | 2019-20    | 2019-20       | 2020-21    | 2020-21       | 2021-22    | 2021-22       | 2022-23           | 2022-23         | 2023-24    |
| 1                                | Andhra Pradesh                   | 28563.77   | 26861.33      | 37510.17   | 37320.99      | 35731.48   | 35460.14      | 36531.92          | 33872.58        | 25342.88   |
| 2                                | Arunachal Pradesh                | 2367.9     | 2367.9        | 2917.87    | 2917.87       | 2968.58    | 647.16        | 1707.01           | 3106            | 2573.12    |
| 3                                | Assam                            | 55325.82   | 56024         | 75703.77   | 76469.2       | 61570.1    | 67949.19      | 88721.4           | 71906.34        | 59594.79   |
| 4                                | Bihar                            | 109313.34  | 113259.9      | 139248.01  | 138557.69     | 103016.32  | 142606.72     | 76399.12          | 168288.4        | 92323.54   |
| 5                                | Chhattisgarh                     | 25489.23   | 26886.06      | 38080.87   | 42439.58      | 21315.32   | 34067.95      | 51008.15          | 41419.62        | 24313.65   |
| 6                                | Goa                              | 1276.05    | 1161.03       | 1709.34    | 981.35        | 668.18     | 1416.47       | 1531.12           | 2248.9          | 1832.31    |
| 7                                | Gujarat                          | 39287.11   | 37962.06      | 52871.83   | 59593         | 50706.46   | 49297.72      | 52293.03          | 74368.81        | 37785.29   |
| 8                                | Haryana                          | 10889.91   | 13315.45      | 15572.73   | 15764.16      | 10163.12   | 8456.23       | 15290.09          | 34580.7         | 16089.74   |
| 9                                | Himachal Pradesh                 | 7557.54    | 7789.72       | 10500.11   | 9477.67       | 6290.49    | 9731.03       | 13801.77          | 14118.06        | 9435.53    |
| 10                               | Jammu &Kashmir                   | 2666.45    | 7949.01       | 15960.26   | 14306.84      | 12221.88   | 14788.59      | 8684.9            | 17334.88        | 13680.88   |
| 11                               | Jharkhand                        | 32310.9    | 30621.39      | 35203.74   | 33824.83      | 25189.45   | 56534.44      | 38424.29          | 64142.71        | 34202.20   |
| 12                               | Karnataka                        | 52056.79   | 49733.8       | 51553.53   | 56520.02      | 48834.32   | 60863.39      | 69076.57          | 59162.25        | 55973.07   |
| 13                               | Kerala                           | 19962.41   | 20305.5       | 27688.82   | 28776.38      | 18482.19   | 32123.1       | 42543.83          | 39309.54        | 24901.32   |
| 14                               | Madhya Pradesh                   | 50407.62   | 51791.74      | 82754.74   | 87607.86      | 47220.22   | 47793.37      | 36285             | 59340.01        | 63404.21   |
| 15                               | Maharashtra                      | 99468.82   | 84615.36      | 100250.03  | 86677.29      | 49075.07   | 121547.2      | 159240.67         | 142401.71       | 79372.10   |
| 16                               | Manipur                          | 2192.3     | 2262.23       | 3900.45    | 4099.46       | 1678.74    | 2862.5        | 2763.32           | 3058.55         | 2459.64    |
| 17                               | Meghalaya                        | 7835.83    | 7466.38       | 8733.94    | 8777.11       | 8564.77    | 8624.13       | 10124.13          | 11164.12        | 10186.01   |
| 18                               | Mizoram                          | 2047.93    | 1858.51       | 2313.45    | 1340.07       | 892.98     | 558.94        | 2974.36           | 4898.66         | 2407.96    |
| 19                               | Nagaland                         | 2279.38    | 2557.08       | 2744.38    | 2675.07       | 1472.51    | 2411.82       | 3196.49           | 2458.51         | 2250.44    |
| 20                               | Odisha                           | 40358.68   | 39699.88      | 58301.22   | 64346.08      | 48208.87   | 50065.72      | 56373.86          | 54801.79        | 51937.63   |
| 21                               | Punjab                           | 13855.77   | 14797.65      | 21769.15   | 20113.24      | 19146.03   | 19277.64      | 18712.92          | 17926.66        | 19988.62   |
| 22                               | Rajasthan                        | 47252.76   | 44287.52      | 71100.05   | 71641.38      | 53106.11   | 78354.32      | 89960.12          | 68337.96        | 31727.94   |
| 23                               | Sikkim                           | 817.45     | 762.31        | 840.58     | 856.96        | 500.65     | 848.59        | 1145.02           | 835.15          | 801.45     |
| 24                               | Tamil Nadu                       | 43121.49   | 41150.06      | 49221.67   | 34969.3       | 23264.94   | 42238.65      | 47700.1           | 40284.4         | 39852.49   |
| 25                               | Telangana                        | 18821.14   | 16223.73      | 4524.22    | 0             | 4334.63    | 9641.08       | 16682.36          | 14517.48        | 14550.92   |
| 26                               | Tripura                          | 5598.51    | 6976.09       | 6220.56    | 8385.98       | 7718.82    | 7240.19       | 6857.03           | 8110.85         | 4434.26    |
| 27                               | Uttarakhand                      | 10273.31   | 9604.07       | 13024.3    | 12473.54      | 12477.64   | 12380.16      | 11575.54          | 18425.51        | 11482.42   |
| 28                               | Uttar Pradesh                    | 118201.96  | 111492.96     | 207166.14  | 210748.19     | 199805.66  | 193883.87     | 133407.6          | 116422.04       | 100659.56  |
| 29                               | West Bengal                      | 107102.66  | 107482.58     | 134330.72  | 131530.83     | 139412.35  | 138035.74     | 148947.05         | Awaited         | 00.00      |
| 30                               | A&N Islands                      | 754.85     | 354           | 648.71     | 456.33        | 540.19     | 416.03        | 365.23            | 291.82          | 505.97     |
| 31                               | Chandigarh                       | 884.26     | 722.45        | 1338.56    | 908.99        | 1721.62    | 1616.13       | 1773.77           | 1004.42         | 639.40     |
| 32                               | D&N Haveli                       | 572.89     | 775.96        | 1307.94    | 1200.32       | 1221.23    | 1274.38       | 1227.1            | 1899.62         | 807.92     |
| 33                               | Delhi                            | 10319.99   | 7022.89       | 11297.29   | 9955.46       | 4403.79    | 6972.51       |                   | 1015.91         | 8370.83    |
| 34                               |                                  | 122.35     | 10.01         | 32.62      |               |            | 0             | 21527.1           |                 | 95.39      |
| 35                               | Lakshadweep Ladakh               | 98.93      | 93.17         | 555.79     | 144.74 320.36 | 0 376.96   | 380.82        | 83.74 200.61      | 25815.88 118.04 | 504.21     |
|                                  |                                  | 290.01     |               | 503.45     | 532.06        | 373.33     | 577.47        |                   | 317.19          | 634.04     |
| 36                               | Puducherry                       |            | 397.36        |            | 1276710.00    | 1022675.0  | 1260943.00    | 363.04 1267501.91 | 1216289.16      | 845121.73  |
| TOTAL (In Lakh) TOTAL (In Crore) | TOTAL (In Lakh) TOTAL (In Crore) | 9700.04    | 9466.41       | 12874.01   | 12767.10      | 10226.75   | 12609.43      | 12675.02          | 12162.89        | 8451.22    |

Annexure referred to in reply to parts (c) to (e) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2145 for 05.08.2024 asked by Shri Rajeev Rai, Hon'ble MP regarding Quality of Food in MidDay Meal Scheme.

## Number of Children reported ill after consuming meals under PM POSHAN Scheme during 2019 to 2024 (till 30.07.2024)

| Sl. No.   | State/UT      | Year-wise Number of Incidents   | Year-wise Number of Incidents   | Year-wise Number of Incidents   | Year-wise Number of Incidents   | Year-wise Number of Incidents   | Year-wise Number of Incidents   | Year-wise Number of Incidents   | Number of Children Reported ill   |
|-----------|---------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| Sl. No.   | State/UT      | 2019                            | 2020                            | 2021                            | 2022                            | 2023                            | 2024                            | Total                           | Number of Children Reported ill   |
| 1         | Bihar         | -                               | -                               | -                               | -                               | -                               | 2                               | 2                               | 198                               |
| 2         | Delhi         | -                               | -                               | -                               | -                               | 2                               | -                               | 2                               | 170                               |
| 3         | Odisha        | -                               | -                               | -                               | 1                               | -                               | -                               | 1                               | 42                                |
| 4         | Tamil Nadu    | 1                               | -                               | -                               | -                               | -                               | -                               | 1                               | 43                                |
| 5         | Uttar Pradesh | -                               | -                               | 1                               | -                               | -                               | -                               | 1                               | 47                                |
| 6         | West Bengal   | -                               | -                               | -                               | -                               | 1                               | -                               | 1                               | 25                                |
|           | Total         | 1                               | -                               | 1                               | 1                               | 3                               | 2                               | 8                               | 525                               |