Delhi govt schools yet to implement revised PM-POSHAN menu, idli-sambar unavailable

Idli-sambar has not yet been introduced as planned in Delhi government schools due to a lack of equipment, school representatives said. Idli-sambar was part of a revised menu announced for students of government schools in August. The agencies had been asked to operationalise idli-sambar latest by August 24 after considering the need to arrange equipment and kitchen hands required for it. Schools in the meantime are serving meals as per the earlier menu. A member of the Government School Principals' Association said the revised menu was yet to be implemented and that the kitchens did not have the equipment required to prepare idlis.

"Idli-sambar has not been introduced in our schools so far. The preparation requires specific equipment and the kitchens do not have the necessary arrangements in place yet. Until these facilities are available, it will be difficult for schools to serve the dish as part of the regular meal," the member said. A School Management Committee (SMC) member of a government school told PTI: "The food being served in the school is still according to the old menu. We have not seen the revised menu being implemented so far. Items such as aloo-puri, curry-rice, halwa and dalia continue to be served to students."

He further said revising the menu and introducing new dishes across schools was a logistical challenge and required time to put the necessary arrangements in place. "Suppose an agency is catering to 10 schools with around 800 students in total. Introducing a new item is not simply a matter of changing the menu on paper. The agency has to arrange the required equipment and ingredients, plan the preparation and ensure that meals reach all the schools on time. Such changes need coordination and is a bit challenging," the member added.

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School canteens don't serve as per menu

Another principal of a government school in RK Puram, who is also a member of the association, confirmed that school canteens do not serve as per the new menu. A response from the Directorate of Education (DoE) on the implementation status of the revised menu was awaited. In August, the DoE had issued an order revising the weekly menu under the PM-POSHAN scheme , introducing changes to meals served in government and government-aided schools.

The department had directed schools and implementing agencies to make the necessary arrangements, with idli-sambar to be introduced within two weeks. The revised six-day menu included poori with black chana gravy and mashed vegetables, idli with sambar, rice with chhole and mashed vegetables, poori with chhole and mashed vegetables, rice with dal, and rice with kadhi. The Meal Review Committee recommended the changes after reviewing the existing weekly menu, meal coverage, stakeholder feedback and implementation experience, according to the department.

The revised menu also replaced ragi halwa with wheat flour and chana masala, and vegetable dalia with jowar and bajra. While most changes were to be implemented immediately, empanelled NGOs and centralised kitchen agencies were given a maximum of two weeks to operationalise idli-sambar, citing the need for specific equipment, specialised ingredients, dedicated infrastructure and trained manpower. The agencies had been directed to ensure that idli-sambar was served no later than August 24. The DoE had clarified that agencies could serve different approved menu items in different schools on the same day, depending on ingredient availability and logistical requirements. However, all six days of the revised menu were required to be followed in every school. The department had also directed zonal and district education officers to monitor compliance, with inspections and random food sampling to continue to assess meal quality and nutritional adequacy.