News: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the continuation of ‘National Scheme for PM POSHAN in Schools’ for the five year period 2021-22 to 2025-26.
About the scheme:
- This is a Centrally-Sponsored Scheme.
- The earlier name of the scheme was ‘National Scheme for Mid Day Meal in Schools’ popularly known as Mid Day Meal Scheme.
Aim: To provide one hot cooked meal in Government and Government-aided schools from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
Coverage: It will cover all school children studying in Classes I-VIII of Government, Government-Aided Schools.
- The scheme covers about 11.80 crore children studying in 11.20 lakh schools across the country.
- Extension of Coverage: The scheme is proposed to be extended to students studying in pre-primary or Bal Vatikas of Government and Government-aided primary schools, in addition to all the children from elementary classes.
Key highlights:
Tithi Bhojan: The concept of TithiBhojan will be encouraged extensively. TithiBhojan is a community participation programme in which people provide special food to children on special occasions/festivals.
School Nutrition Gardens: Government is promoting the development of School Nutrition Gardens in schools to give children first-hand experience with nature and gardening. The harvest of these gardens is used in the scheme, providing additional micronutrients.
Social Audit of the scheme is made mandatory in all the districts.
Special provision is made for providing supplementary nutrition items to children in aspirational districts and districts with a high prevalence of Anaemia.
Cooking competitions will be encouraged at all levels, right from village level to national level, to promote ethnic cuisine and innovative menus based on locally available ingredients and vegetables.
Vocal for Local for Atma Nirbhar Bharat: Involvement of Farmers Producer Organizations (FPO) and Women Self Help Groups in the implementation of the scheme will be encouraged. Use of locally grown traditional food items for a fillip to local economic growth will be encouraged.
Field visits for progress monitoring and inspections will be facilitated for students of eminent Universities / Institutions and also trainee teachers of Regional Institutes of Educations (RIE) and District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET).
