Govt may revise mid-day meals’ daily cooking cost

NEW DELHI: The government is likely to revise the daily cooking cost of mid-day meals in schools across the country, people familiar with the development said, adding that a central committee constituted to review the per day cooking cost is in the final stage of compiling its report.

The central panel was set up by the ministry of education last year to review the cooking cost of midday meals and chalk out a formula and methodology for their revision. Among the members of the panel include officials from the ministries of education, finance and labour, besides independent experts. “The committee report has almost reached the conclusive stage,” an official familiar with the development said, requesting anonymity. “It is expected to meet in the coming days to officially finalise the cooking cost before it is sent for approval to finance ministry.”

The mid-day meal cooking cost was last revised in 2020. It was increased from ₹4.48 to ₹4.97 per student per school day for primary (classes 1-5) and ₹6.71 to ₹7.45 for upper primary classes (classes 6-8). “As per the norms, the cost should be revised every year. But due to the pandemic, the revision could not happen last year,” the official cited above said. “Therefore, it is likely that this time the cost may increase by ₹0.5 to ₹1.5.”

Under the mid-day meal scheme, or PM-POSHAN, cooking cost gets the largest allocation among all components, including prices of ingredients such as pulses, vegetables, cooking oil and other condiments. The Centre shares the cost with states and Union territories in 60:40 ratio and contributes 100% in UTs without a legislature. The scheme covers at least 118 million students enroled in classes 1-8 across 1.1 million schools in the country. The scheme now also covers preprimary students (below class 1).

In the recent programme approval board (mid-day meal) meetings, some states including Andhra Pradesh demanded increase of cooking cost, a second official said. The revision is happening at a time when school officials in some states, including West Bengal, raised concerns over the impact of food inflation on the mid-day meal.

The Centre should first map the vulnerability of children, said Sonal Kapoor, founder CEO of Protsahan India Foundation, a Delhi-based child rights NGO. “Revisions need to focus on a three-pronged approach of extent of pandemic-induced vulnerabilities, cultural influence and dignified variety to cover a spectrum of nutrition for a growing child.”

WAS INCREASED FROM ₹4.48 TO ₹4.97 PER STUDENT PER SCHOOL DAY FOR PRIMARY (CLASSES 1-5) AND ₹6.71 TO ₹7.45 FOR UPPER PRIMARY CLASSES (CLASSES 6-8) IN 2020