Lok Sabha Question No. 107 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-03
Subject: PM POSHAN Scheme
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Baijayant Panda

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-107 ANSWERED ON- 03.02.2025

## PM POSHAN Scheme

## 107. Shri Baijayant Panda:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the Government has conducted any study, survey, or research on the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) (Erstwhile Mid-Day Meal) scheme to evaluate the quality and nutrition provided to students;
- (b)  if so, the details thereof, including the parameters used for assessing the quality and nutrition of food provided to children under the scheme;
- (c)  whether there are any specific guidelines/framework established by the Government to ensure that  the  mid-day  meals  provided  to  students  meet  the  recommended  calorie  and  nutrient  intake requirements; and
- (d)  if so, the details thereof and the steps to be taken by the Government to upgrade the scheme?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (d) : Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) Scheme is implemented in partnership  with  States/  UTs  for  providing  one  hot  cooked  and  nutritious  meal  to  children studying  in  Balvatika  (just  before  class  I)  and  the  classes  I  to  VIII  of  Government  and Government-aided schools on all school working days.  The overall responsibility for smooth functioning of the scheme and the day-to-day administration of the scheme lies with the State Governments  and  UT  Administrations.    Nutrition  and  food  norms  under  the  scheme  are  as under:

| S. No.                              | Items                               | Primary& Balvatika                  | 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                         |

To  ensure  quality  and  nutrition,  the  meal  is  prepared  of  fortified  rice  (Iron,  folic  acid  and Vitamin), double fortified salt (Iron & Iodine) and fortified oil (Vitamin A & D). Many States and UTs are also providing additional food items viz., eggs, fruits, milk, ragi malt and chikki etc.

The  Government  of  India  has  issued  detailed  guidelines  on  quality,  safety  and  hygiene  to ensure serving of good quality nutritious meal under the Scheme.   All the States/ UTs were advised to adhere to these Guidelines. These guidelines are available on official website https://pmposhan.education.gov.in. The guidelines of the PM POSHAN Scheme, interalia,  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 members of School Management Committee including at least one teacher before serving the hot meal to children. In addition, the States and UTs are advised to do testing of meals through NABL accredited laboratories.  Section  28  of  National  Food  Security  Act,  2013  inter-alia  envisages  that  every local authority, or any other authority or body, as may be authorized by the State Government, shall conduct or cause to be conducted, periodic social audits on the functioning of the scheme and  cause  to  publicize  its  findings  and  take  necessary  action,  in  such  manner  as  may  be prescribed by the State Government. 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. The responsibility for taking action and ensuring complaisance on the Social Audit findings rests with  the  State/UT  Nodal  Department  implementing  the  PM  POSHAN  Scheme.  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.  Training  of  Cook-cum-Helpers  are  done  on nutrition,  cooking  processes,  health  and  hygiene,  preparation  of  raw  grains  and  vegetables, recipes,  serving  skills  etc.  in  collaboration  with  Ministry  of  Tourism,  Government  of  India through  their  Institutes  of  Hotel  Management  and  Food  Craft  Institutes,  FSSAI,  State Agricultural Universities etc. In order to improve performance and extent of implementation, the scheme inter-alia provides elaborate monitoring mechanism inter-alia State Steering-cumMonitoring Committee under the Chairpersonship of Chief Secretary, District level Committee under  the  Chairpersonship  of  senior-most  MP  of  Lok  Sabha,  District  level  Steering-cumMonitoring Committee under the Chairpersonship of District Collector.

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