Context:

• The Ministry of Education, Government of India, has increased the ‘Cooking Cost’ by 9.50% under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) scheme.
• This increase will be effective from 01 May 2025 across all States and Union Territories.
• As a result of this hike, the Central Government will bear an additional cost of approximately ₹954 crore in the financial year 2025-26.
• This step aims to provide adequate and nutritious meals to students.

Supply of Foodgrains:

• Apart from the cooking cost, the Government of India provides approximately 26 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrains through the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
• The Government bears 100% of the foodgrain cost, which includes:
• An annual subsidy of around ₹9,000 crore.
• 100% transportation cost from FCI depots to schools.

Per Meal Cost (Including Foodgrains & Other Components):

• For Balvatika and Primary classes: ₹12.13 per meal
• For Upper Primary classes: ₹17.62 per meal

Revised Cooking Cost per Student per Day (from 01 May 2025):

About PM POSHAN Scheme:

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, under which hot cooked meals are provided to students of Balvatika and Classes 1 to 8 in 10.36 lakh Government and Government-aided schools, covering approximately 11.20 crore children on all school days.
• Launched: 15 August 1995 as the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE)
• Renamed as Mid-Day Meal Scheme: In 2008-09
• Renamed as PM POSHAN Scheme: In 2021 by the Ministry of Education

Cooking Cost Covers the Following Ingredients:

Key Achievements:

• The PM POSHAN scheme is planned for 5 years (2021–22 to 2025–26) with:
• ₹54,061.73 crore from the Central Government, and
• ₹31,733.17 crore from State Governments and UT Administrations.
• Additionally, the Central Government will bear an extra cost of ₹45,000 crore on foodgrains.
• Thus, the total outlay of the scheme will be ₹1,30,794.90 crore.
• The budget allocation for the scheme increased from ₹6,539.52 crore in 2008-09 to ₹8,457.74 crore in 2023-24, reflecting the Government’s continued commitment towards the scheme.