Children attending government schools in Haryana are set to enjoy a new menu featuring healthy and nutritious options. The government has introduced a separate menu that includes dishes like vegetable pulao with nutritious millet, gram, and khichdi as part of the PM Poshan Yojana (Midday Meal) initiative.
Under this scheme by the Centre, hot cooked meals are provided to students from classes 1 to 8 in primary and upper primary schools, including those run by government, local bodies, and government-aided private institutions.
During a meeting of the State Level Steering-cum-Monitoring Committee of the PM Nutrition Scheme chaired by Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal, a budget of Rs 658 crore was approved for the fiscal year 2024-25. The state’s share is Rs 457.26 crore, while the central government’s share is Rs 200.74 crore.
The Chief Secretary emphasized the need for better implementation and utilization of the PM Nutrition Scheme to ensure children receive nutritious and protein-rich meals.
Managed by the Haryana Education Department, the PM Poshan Yojana operates in a total of 14,253 schools, including 8,671 primary schools and 5,582 upper primary schools in the state. During the meeting, the CM requested information from officials regarding the provision of complete protein and nutritious food based on surveys conducted in other states.
He stressed the government’s commitment to providing quality food in schools to combat malnutrition among children. The national Mid-Day Meal program, now known as PM Poshan, is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at providing nutritional food items for primary education.
The meeting was attended by senior officials including Additional Chief Secretary of the School Education Department Sudhir Rajpal, Additional Chief Secretary of the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department Ankur Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department Dr. G Anupama, and Commissioner and Secretary P Amneet Kumar.