UGC asks college students to monitor mid-day-meal distribution under PM Poshan in schools

NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked higher educational institutions (HEIs) to take action to ensure each student visits at least one school once a year for inspection of the implementation of the PM POSHAN scheme.

Addressing vice-chancellors of all universities and principals of all colleges, the UGC said, “All the Higher Educational Institutions and their affiliated colleges are requested to take appropriate action so that each student of the Department of Food and Nutrition visits at least one school once in a year for inspection of the implementation of PM POSHAN Scheme.”

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The commission said that the step is taken to enhance monitoring of the implementation of PM POSHAN scheme at grass root level. It further said, “This initiative not only gives exposure to the students about PM POSHAN Scheme but also enriches their professional experience through real-life situations while enhancing the monitoring of the scheme.”

The UGC has also shared the field visit format along with the notice. Students of HEIs who carry out field inspections to check the implementation of mid-day meal will have to fill out the field visit form in the same format.

Last year, the government renamed the national Mid-Day Meal Scheme to PM POSHAN Scheme. The primary objective of the scheme is to improve the nutritional status of children studying in Classes 1 to 8 in government and aided schools. The scheme will also cover students in pre-primary classes. This will benefit about 11.80 crore children studying in 11.20 lakh schools, the government had said.

The government has increased the budget for education, crossing Rs 1 lakh crore for the first time. It is noteworthy that PM Poshan scheme saw nearly Rs 250 crore underutilised during 2019-20. In 2020-21, the amount underutilised was just over Rs 20 crore.