The much maligned mid-day scheme meal, aimed at providing nutrition to young children, has changed its mame and will now be known as ‘PM Poshan’.
The Central Government has announced that around 2.4 million students receiving pre-primary education at government and government-aided schools too will now be covered under this ‘child nutrition’s program.
Under the mid day meal scheme, hit cooked food is provided currently from Classes I to VIII – around 118 million children children in all, 1.12 million government and government-aided schools. This is a mammoth exercise indeed. Under PM Poshan’ Shakti Nirman or PM Poshan’ scheme, 2.4 million more children in pre-primary classes, currently covered under the ICDS, will also be brought in. Last year, the Government had opened pre-schools called Balvatikas attached to anganwadis.
This step is in continuation of the recently announced National Education Policy (NEP) which recommended that pre-school education should be formalised. Also, it will aim to prevent leakages and bring transparency in the system, lack of which had been the cause of great malignation and criticism that has been faced in its implementation at the ground level.
While the Central Government bears the entire cost of food grains and their transportation, as well looks after the management of the scheme, its monitoring and evaluation, components such as cooking costs, payments to cooks and workers are split in a 60:40 ratio with states.
