Students of 24 lakh pre-primary schools will receive mid-day meals now
- ByManjeet Singh | September 30, 2021
Approximately 11.8 crore government school students from Grade 1 to 8 will be served hot cooked meals under the PM POSHAN (Poshan Shakti Nirman) scheme renamed by the Centre. The scheme has been around for 26 years.
Officials with the Education Ministry said the Education Ministry will extend the coverage to 24 lakh pupils studying in balvatikas, a pre-primary section of government schools, beginning in the next fiscal year.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told journalists after the Cabinet meeting that, while this year’s mid-day meal budget remains unchanged, an additional *266 crore is expected to be added as the Central government’s contribution to cater to balvatika students from 2022-23.
For the next five years, the PM POSHAN scheme has been approved with a collective outlay of Rs. 1,31 lakh crore, of which Rs. 31,733 crore will be borne by state governments. M. Pradhan said it had the potential to “improve nutritional status, boost education, and increase enrolments in government schools.”
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