Centre to review PM POSHAN scheme implementation in West Bengal

NEW DELHI: The ministry of education has constituted a Joint Review Mission to review the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) in West Bengal in the month of January 2023.

The Joint Review Mission comprises members drawn from nutrition experts, officers from Government of India and the state government.

The team will review the implementation of the scheme at state, district and at school levels for a specified period of time on defined parameters. It will also review the fund flow from state to schools, availability of management structure, delivery mechanism and cost of food grains.

In March last year, the parliamentary standing committee noted that the government only spent 57 percent of its budget on PM Poshan. According to its observations, Rs 6,660 crore were utilised as against Rs 11,500 crore allocation.

The JRM team will also be examining the construction of kitchen-cum-stores, procurement and replacement of kitchen devices and the involvement of non-government organizations (NGOs).

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Mid-day meal scheme in West Bengal

In addition to reviewing the implementation of PM POSHAN scheme, it will also assess the nutritional aspects by measuring students’ height, weight and mid-arm circumference to identify the children who are undernourished.

After reviewing the quality and quantity of food served under the PM POSHAN scheme, the experts will also be suggesting nutritionally balanced region specific recipes.

Moreover, it will be checking if the District Level Committee under the chairpersonship of the senior most Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) is convening meetings on time.

“Management Information System (MIS), implementation of Automated Monitoring System, and convergence with Rastriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram for health check-up, supplementation of micronutrients under WIFS and deworming medicine under national deworming day and health check-ups and supply of spectacles to children suffering from refractive errors,” will also be reviewed.

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Additionally, it will also inquire if the food safety guidelines are disseminated in district, block and school levels. Enrolment of children and Cook-cum-Helpers under Aadhaar, payment of honorarium to Cook-cum-Helpers, system of storage of food grains and other ingredients will be assessed.

The Joint Review Mission will evaluate the role of teachers and involvement of the community in the implementation of PM POSHAN.