We are committed to doing everything possible to fight the menace of malnutrition. Today’s Cabinet decision on PM-POSHAN is a crucial one, benefiting the youth of India,” the Prime Minister said in a tweet.

Schools will also be encouraged to organise cooking competitions to promote ethnic cuisine and innovative menus based on locally available ingredients and vegetables.

The government did not announce anything on the provision of adding breakfast in schools as recommended by the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Key Notes

1. The Cabinet on September 29 renamed the existing Mid-Day Meal Scheme as Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana (PM POSHAN).

2. Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the government will provide one cooked hot meal in government and government-aided schools.

3. PM POSHAN has been launched for a period of five years, from 2021-22 to 2025-26, with a budget of Rs 1,30,794.90 crore.

4. It is expected to benefit 11.80 crore children studying in 11.20 lakh schools across the country.

5. This includes Rs 54,061.73 crore as the Central government’s share and Rs 31,733.17 crore as State governments’ share. The Centre will also bear an additional cost of Rs 45,000 crore for food grains.

6. The midday meal scheme was launched in 1995 with an aim to provide at least one nutritional meal to elementary school students. It later became instrumental in improving enrolments in schools, according to experts.

7. The government will promote the development of nutrition gardens in schools under the scheme and the harvest of these gardens will be used to provide additional micro-nutrients to students.