What Is PM POSHAN?
PM POSHAN — short for Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman — is the renamed and expanded version of the old Mid Day Meal Scheme. It was rechristened in 2021 and is run as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the legal backing of the National Food Security Act, 2013. Its purpose is twofold: to improve the nutritional health of school children and to encourage them to attend school regularly. One hot, freshly cooked meal is provided on every working day to children studying from the pre-primary Balvatika stage through Class VIII in government, local body and government-aided schools.
Who Is Covered
The scheme reaches well over eleven crore children across more than ten lakh schools nationwide. Coverage includes regular schools as well as recognised alternative institutions such as madrasas and special training centres supported under the education framework. Several states, including Odisha in many districts, also extend a cooked meal to secondary classes using their own resources, even though the central scheme formally stops at Class VIII.
Nutrition and Food Norms
The guidelines fix clear minimum nutrition targets. A primary child (Classes I–V) must receive a meal providing at least 450 calories and 12 grams of protein, prepared with 100 grams of food grain. An upper primary child (Classes VI–VIII) must receive at least 700 calories and 20 grams of protein from 150 grams of food grain. To meet these targets the daily meal includes pulses, vegetables, cooking oil, condiments and salt in prescribed quantities.
How It Is Funded
Funding is split into food grain and cooking cost. Food grain (mostly rice) is supplied free to schools through the Food Corporation of India, with the central government bearing the full grain cost and transport. The cooking cost — the rupee amount per child that pays for the other ingredients and fuel — is shared between the Centre and the states, generally in a 60:40 ratio for ordinary states. Many states top up this amount from their own budgets to serve a richer meal.
Other Components
Beyond the meal itself, the guidelines provide for honorarium to cook-cum-helpers, construction of kitchen-cum-stores, kitchen devices, transport assistance and a small allocation for management, monitoring and evaluation. Together these components are designed to make sure the meal that reaches a child's plate is safe, nutritious and served on time.