Punjab to start serving mid-day meal to UKG students from today

Beginning from today, September 1, the School Education Department will starts providing mid-day meal to all children enrolled in Balvatika courses at government-run and government-aided schools.

The state general manager of the mid-day meal (MDM) programme, currently known as the PM Poshan Scheme, ordered all public and government-aided schools to start serving one cooked meal to Balvatika pupils on Friday in a letter to all district education officials (DEOs).

Around 1.95 lakh students in the UKG classes at these schools will receive a daily minimum of 100 g of cooked foodgrain (rice or wheat). The daily cost of cooking for a child would be Rs 5.45.

Until now, around 17 lakh students were being provided one cooked meal

Until now, the state's scheme provided one cooked lunch to about 17 lakh kids in grades I through VIII. While the Central Government provides the foodgrains (rice and wheat) for the MDM plan in the schools, the Centre and State Government split the expense of cooking the meal 60:40.

Schools that offer Balvatika classes have traditionally insisted that these children receive cooked lunches as well.

In primary schools I through V, each child must pay Rs 5.45 for cooking each day. The cost per pupil for the higher primary grades (VI–VIII) is Rs 8.17. The state government has maintained the expense of cooking meals for UKG students at the same level as that for children in primary classes.

About 17 lakh kids in government-run and government-aided primary and elementary schools in the state are guaranteed one meal for at least 200 days out of every year under the Scheme. Children's meals are prepared by about 42,000 employees combined with their assistance in 19,680 government and government-aided schools.

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