Centre Reviews PM-POSHAN Scheme, Considers State Suggestions for Expansion
Centre deliberates state suggestions to enhance PM-POSHAN, including pre-primary extension and cost increase.
Photo by Markus Winkler
त्वरित संशोधन
Centre deliberating suggestions on PM-POSHAN scheme.
Suggestions from states and UTs.
Proposals include increasing cooking cost, extending to pre-primary, improving infrastructure.
PM-POSHAN is the rebranded Mid-Day Meal Scheme.
दृश्य सामग्री
PM-POSHAN Scheme: Current Status & Proposed Enhancements (Dec 2025)
This dashboard highlights key statistics of the PM-POSHAN scheme as of December 2025, reflecting the current review and proposed areas of expansion and improvement, as suggested by states and UTs.
- Current Beneficiaries (Class I-VIII)
- ~11.8 Crore Children
- Proposed Beneficiary Expansion (Pre-primary)
- +~3.5 Crore Children
- Current Cooking Cost (Primary per child/day)
- ₹5.45
- Current Cooking Cost (Upper Primary per child/day)
- ₹8.17
- Total Scheme Outlay (2021-22 to 2025-26)
- ₹1.31 Lakh Crore
Covers a vast population of school-going children, ensuring nutritional support and promoting school attendance. This forms the base for proposed expansion.
Extending the scheme to pre-primary students (3-6 years) would significantly broaden its reach, addressing early childhood nutrition and development, aligning with NEP 2020.
This is the current per-child cooking cost for primary students. States have suggested increasing this to offset inflation and improve meal quality.
The current per-child cooking cost for upper primary students, also under review for potential increase.
This significant central investment over five years underscores the government's long-term commitment to child nutrition and education.
परीक्षा के दृष्टिकोण
Governance and Social Justice (GS2): Scheme implementation, Centre-State relations, welfare programs for vulnerable sections.
Education (GS2): Impact on enrollment, retention, and learning outcomes, Right to Education Act.
Economy (GS3): Social sector spending, budget allocation, impact on local economies, food security.
Health and Nutrition (GS2/3): Addressing malnutrition, public health interventions, child development.
विस्तृत सारांश देखें
सारांश
The Central government is actively deliberating suggestions from states and Union Territories to enhance the PM-POSHAN scheme, formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme. Key proposals under consideration include increasing the cooking cost per child, extending the scheme to pre-primary students, and improving infrastructure for meal preparation and delivery.
This review highlights the Centre's commitment to strengthening nutritional support and educational outcomes for children, while also showcasing the dynamic nature of Centre-State relations in welfare program implementation. For UPSC aspirants, this development is highly relevant for GS2 (Governance, Social Justice, Education) and GS3 (Economy - social sector spending), as it touches upon major welfare schemes, federal cooperation, and child development.
पृष्ठभूमि
नवीनतम घटनाक्रम
बहुविकल्पीय प्रश्न (MCQ)
1. Consider the following statements regarding the PM-POSHAN Scheme: 1. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme that replaced the National Programme of Mid-Day Meal in Schools (MDMS). 2. The scheme currently covers all children studying in government and government-aided schools from pre-primary to Class VIII. 3. The cooking cost under the scheme is shared between the Centre and States/UTs in a fixed ratio. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.1 and 3 only
- C.2 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
उत्तर देखें
सही उत्तर: B
Statement 1 is correct. The PM-POSHAN scheme was launched in 2021, replacing the MDMS. Statement 2 is incorrect. While the news mentions extending to pre-primary as a proposal, the scheme currently covers children in classes I-VIII in government and government-aided schools. Pre-primary is under consideration, not fully implemented across the board yet. Statement 3 is correct. PM-POSHAN is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, meaning the cost of food grains, cooking cost, and other components are shared between the Centre and States/UTs in a predefined ratio (e.g., 60:40 for general states, 90:10 for North-Eastern states, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, and 100% for UTs without legislature).
2. In the context of India's efforts to combat child malnutrition and promote education, which of the following statements is NOT correct?
- A.The Mid-Day Meal Scheme was initially launched in 1995 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
- B.The Supreme Court of India has played a significant role in mandating the universalization of cooked mid-day meals in government schools.
- C.Article 21A of the Constitution of India provides for the Right to Education, which is directly supported by school meal programs.
- D.The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme primarily focuses on providing cooked meals to school-going children aged 6-14 years.
उत्तर देखें
सही उत्तर: D
Statement A is correct. The MDMS was indeed launched in 1995. Statement B is correct. The Supreme Court, in its 2001 order in the 'People's Union for Civil Liberties vs. Union of India' case, directed states to implement cooked mid-day meals in all government and government-aided primary schools. Statement C is correct. Article 21A guarantees the Right to Education for children aged 6-14 years, and school meal programs help achieve this by improving attendance and retention. Statement D is incorrect. The ICDS scheme primarily focuses on children aged 0-6 years, pregnant women, and lactating mothers, providing a package of services including supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check-ups, and pre-school education. Cooked meals for school-going children aged 6-14 years are primarily covered by the PM-POSHAN (formerly MDMS) scheme.
3. Match List-I with List-II regarding major social welfare initiatives in India: List-I (Scheme/Act) I. PM-POSHAN Scheme II. POSHAN Abhiyaan III. Right to Education Act IV. National Food Security Act List-II (Primary Focus) 1. Legal entitlement to food and nutritional security 2. Holistic approach to improve nutritional outcomes for children, adolescents, pregnant women, and lactating mothers 3. Provision of hot cooked meals to school children 4. Free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14 years Select the correct match using the code given below:
- A.I-3, II-2, III-4, IV-1
- B.I-2, II-3, III-1, IV-4
- C.I-3, II-1, III-4, IV-2
- D.I-4, II-2, III-3, IV-1
उत्तर देखें
सही उत्तर: A
I. PM-POSHAN Scheme: Its primary focus is the provision of hot cooked meals to school children (3). II. POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission): Aims for a holistic approach to improve nutritional outcomes for children, adolescents, pregnant women, and lactating mothers (2). III. Right to Education Act (RTE Act): Mandates free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14 years (4). IV. National Food Security Act (NFSA): Provides legal entitlement to food and nutritional security, including provisions for mid-day meals and ICDS (1).
4. Assertion (A): The Central government is actively deliberating suggestions from states and Union Territories to enhance the PM-POSHAN scheme. Reason (R): Welfare programs like PM-POSHAN are implemented through a cooperative federalism approach, where both Centre and States/UTs share responsibilities and contribute to policy improvements. In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct?
- A.Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
- B.Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
- C.A is true, but R is false.
- D.A is false, but R is true.
उत्तर देखें
सही उत्तर: A
Assertion (A) is true, as stated in the news article. The Central government is indeed reviewing the scheme and considering state suggestions. Reason (R) is also true. Welfare programs in India, especially Centrally Sponsored Schemes, operate on the principle of cooperative federalism. This involves shared responsibilities in funding, implementation, and policy formulation, making state suggestions crucial for effective governance and tailored solutions. The reason correctly explains why the Centre would deliberate state suggestions – because of the cooperative federal structure of welfare program implementation.