Mid-day Meal Scheme: Centre increases cooking cost allocation to Rs 8100 crore

NEW DELHI: To ensure the supply of food and nutrition to students amidst COVID-19 lockdown, the Union government has increased the central allocation of cooking cost per child per day under the Mid-day Meal scheme to Rs 8,100 crore from Rs 7,300 crore.

The minister of human resource and development (MHRD), Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ held a meeting with the state education ministers on April 28 to discuss effective means of imparting education and mid-day meal programme to students during the current coronavirus lockdown.

The HRD minister said in a tweet that as per discussions in a meeting held via video-conference, the government has decided to “increase the annual central allocation of cooking cost for procurement of pulses, vegetables, oil, spices and fuel under Mid Day Meal Scheme is enhanced to Rs 8,100 crore from Rs 7,300 crore”.

This budget enhancement in cooking cost allocation reflects an increase of 10.99 percent.

Earlier, in March, the Union government had directed the states and Union Territories to provide mid-day meals or equivalent amounts of food grains or food security allowance to students in case their schools had been shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The centrally sponsored Mid-Day Meal is aimed at increasing enrolment, retention and attendance of students in schools

About 11.59 crore students benefit from this scheme, which is the world’s largest lunch programme.

Mid-day meals are provided to children in the elementary classes, that is, up to Class 8.

As per the HRD minister’s twitter handle, “the cooking cost per child per day has been increased from Rs 4.48 to Rs 4.97 for students of Class 1 to Class 5. For students of Class 6 to Class 8, the cooking cost per child per day has been increased from Rs 6.71 to Rs 7.45.”

The new rates are effective from April 1.

Also read:

• HRD minister to discuss education, mid-day meals with states
• Covid-19 Shutdown: Centre orders states to provide mid day meals

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