Lok Sabha Question No. 2723 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-17
Subject: PM POSHAN Scheme
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO2723 ANSWERED ON- 17.03.2025

## PM POSHAN Scheme

†2723. Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  implementation  of  Prime  Minister  Poshan  Shakti  Nirman  (PM POSHAN) Scheme along with the number of beneficiaries of the scheme, State-wise;
- (b) whether  the  students  studying  in  'Bal  Vatikas'  have  been  covered  under  the  PM POSHAN scheme and if so, the number of said beneficiaries of the scheme, Statewise;
- (c) whether the Government has been able to include Farmer Produce Organisations and Women Self-help Groups in the implementation of PM POSHAN scheme and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the number of States which have adopted Direct Benefit Transfer for making payment to cooks and assistants under the said Scheme; and
- (e) the number of social audits carried out to study the implementation of the said scheme since its inception, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a): & (b): Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) Scheme is one of the foremost  rights  based  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  implemented  in  partnership  with  the States and UTs for providing one hot cooked and nutritious meal to all children studying in Bal Vatika (just before class-I) and classes I to VIII of Government and Government-aided schools.  During 2024-25, about 11.20 crore children studying in 10.36 lakh institutions have been benefitted under the Scheme. The detail of number of beneficiaries including Balvatika under the scheme, State-wise is at Annexure-I.

(c): The PM POSHAN Scheme is implemented in partnership with the States and Union Territory  Administrations.  The  overall  responsibilities  for  providing  nutritious  and  hot cooked  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. All the 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.  Further, as per PM POSHAN Guidelines, the responsibility for cooking/ supply  of  cooked  meal  should  be,  as  far  as  possible,  assigned  to  one  of  the  Cook-CumHelpers and Local women's/ mother's Self-Help Group (SHG). States/UTs are advised that wherever  possible  they  can  utilise  the  services  of  Farmers'  Producers  Organizations  and Women's Self-Help Groups.

(d): All  States/UTs  are  providing  honorarium  to  cook-cum-helpers  into  their  respective bank  accounts.

(e):    Social  Audit  is  collective  monitoring  of  a  Scheme  by  people's  active  involvement covering  issues  of  equity,  equality,  and  expenditure  management.  Comprehensive  and detailed Guidelines to conduct Social Audit under the scheme have been issued in 2022-23 to all the States/UTs. As per Guidelines, Social Audit is made mandatory in all Districts in at least  20  schools  or  2%  schools,  whichever  is  higher.  The  State/UT-wise  number  of  social audits is at Annexure-II.

*****

Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (e) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2723 for 17.03.2025 asked by Hon'ble MP Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh regarding PM POSHAN Scheme.

## Number of children enrolled under PM POSHAN Scheme year 2024-25

| S.No.   | State/UT          | Number of Beneficiaries Enrolled   | Number of Beneficiaries Enrolled   | Number of Beneficiaries Enrolled   | Number of Beneficiaries Enrolled   |
|---------|-------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
| S.No.   | State/UT          | Bal Vatika                         | Primary                            | Up. Primary                        | Total                              |
| 1       | A &NIslands       | 5172                               | 13294                              | 10859                              | 29325                              |
| 2       | Andhra Pradesh    | 0                                  | 1516768                            | 1069092                            | 2585860                            |
| 3       | Arunachal Pradesh | 11619                              | 85944                              | 53606                              | 151169                             |
| 4       | Assam             | 225068                             | 2424739                            | 1269560                            | 3919367                            |
| 5       | Bihar             | 0                                  | 11426436                           | 5911869                            | 17338305                           |
| 6       | Chandigarh        | 14918                              | 44270                              | 40684                              | 99872                              |
| 7       | Chhattisgarh      | 0                                  | 1780359                            | 1121747                            | 2902106                            |
| 8       | Delhi             | 118430                             | 880193                             | 762292                             | 1760915                            |
| 9       | DNH&DD            | 7221                               | 40287                              | 27055                              | 74563                              |
| 10      | Goa               | 2881                               | 92445                              | 67715                              | 163041                             |
| 11      | Gujarat           | 529306                             | 2746239                            | 1880218                            | 5155763                            |
| 12      | Haryana           | 63945                              | 847705                             | 639141                             | 1550791                            |
| 13      | Himachal Pradesh  | 71713                              | 247577                             | 194194                             | 513484                             |
| 14      | Jammu &Kashmir    | 182596                             | 490147                             | 279365                             | 952108                             |
| 15      | Jharkhand         | 42164                              | 2644749                            | 1417982                            | 4104895                            |
| 16      | Karnataka         | 0                                  | 2534097                            | 1566937                            | 4101034                            |
| 17      | Kerala            | 137872                             | 1575615                            | 1130920                            | 2844407                            |
| 18      | Ladakh            | 4391                               | 9334                               | 4414                               | 18139                              |
| 19      | Lakshadweep       | 1265                               | 5093                               | 2567                               | 8925                               |
| 20      | Madhya Pradesh    | 0                                  | 3913068                            | 2422860                            | 6335928                            |
| 21      | Maharashtra       | 0                                  | 5974978                            | 3917899                            | 9892877                            |
| 22      | Manipur           | 25822                              | 125456                             | 37762                              | 189040                             |
| 23      | Meghalaya         | 137524                             | 385431                             | 181868                             | 704823                             |
| 24      | Mizoram           | 25071                              | 75137                              | 38631                              | 138839                             |
| 25      | Nagaland          | 41394                              | 56964                              | 30613                              | 128971                             |
| 26      | Odisha            | 0                                  | 2512932                            | 1742408                            | 4255340                            |
| 27      | Puducherry        | 7204                               | 27122                              | 20182                              | 54508                              |
| 28      | Punjab            | 174552                             | 1072279                            | 660578                             | 1907409                            |
| 29      | Rajasthan         | 46009                              | 3361174                            | 2294665                            | 5701848                            |
| 30      | Sikkim            | 6200                               | 21102                              | 17440                              | 44742                              |
| 31      | Tamil Nadu        | _                                  | 2248314                            | 1864599                            | 4112913                            |
| 32      | Telangana         | 0                                  | 1013708                            | 643659                             | 1657367                            |
| 33      | Tripura           | 11583                              | 215878                             | 141781                             | 369242                             |
| 34      | Uttar Pradesh     | 0                                  | 10577090                           | 5781838                            | 16358928                           |
| 35      | Uttarakhand       | 0                                  | 361891                             | 256529                             | 618420                             |
| 36      | West Bengal       | 958563                             | 6310427                            | 4071506                            | 11340496                           |
|         | Total             | 2852483                            | 67658242                           | 41575035                           | 112085760                          |

Annexure-II Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (e) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2723 for 17.03.2025 asked by Hon'ble MP Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh regarding

PM POSHAN Scheme.

|    | State/UT          |   Number of Social Audits carried out since inception |
|----|-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
|  1 | Andhra Pradesh    |                                                  1511 |
|  2 | Arunachal Pradesh |                                                   120 |
|  3 | Assam             |                                                  3326 |
|  4 | Bihar             |                                                  1317 |
|  5 | Chhattisgarh      |                                                 36270 |
|  6 | Gujarat           |                                                  5601 |
|  7 | Goa               |                                                   131 |
|  8 | Haryana           |                                                    88 |
|  9 | Himachal Pradesh  |                                                  1035 |
| 10 | Jharkhand         |                                                 15731 |
| 11 | Karnataka         |                                                  2788 |
| 12 | Kerala            |                                                  1008 |
| 13 | Madhya Pradesh    |                                                  5300 |
| 14 | Maharashtra       |                                                  8703 |
| 15 | Manipur           |                                                   120 |
| 16 | Meghalaya         |                                                  2214 |
| 17 | Mizoram           |                                                   610 |
| 18 | Nagaland          |                                                   122 |
| 19 | Odisha            |                                                  1680 |
| 20 | Punjab            |                                                   978 |
| 21 | Rajasthan         |                                                   429 |
| 22 | Sikkim            |                                                   200 |
| 23 | Tamil Nadu        |                                                   953 |
| 24 | Telangana         |                                                  1410 |
| 25 | Tripura           |                                                   824 |
| 26 | Uttar Pradesh     |                                                  3355 |
| 27 | Uttarakhand       |                                                  1003 |
| 28 | West Bengal       |                                                 11253 |
| 29 | A&N Islands       |                                                     1 |
| 30 | Chandigarh        |                                                   112 |
| 31 | D&N H &Daman Diu  |                                                   611 |
| 32 | Delhi             |                                                   170 |
| 33 | Jammu &Kashmir    |                                                 36954 |
| 34 | Ladakh            |                                                   310 |
| 35 | Lakshadweep       |                                                    14 |
| 36 | Puducherry        |                                                   228 |