Punjab: 1.9 lakh UKG students to get mid-day meals from today

Faridkot, August 31

The School Education Department will start serving mid-day meals to all kids enrolled in Balvatika classes in the government and government-aided schools from September 1.

In a letter to all district education officers (DEOs), the state general manager of the mid-day meal (MDM) scheme (now called the PM Poshan Scheme) on Thursday directed all government and government-aided schools to provide one cooked meal to Balvatika students from Friday.

Approximately, 1.95 lakh kids enrolled in the UKG classes in these schools will get a minimum of 100-gm cooked foodgrain (wheat or rice) every day. The cooking cost would be Rs 5.45 per child a day.

Until now, around 17 lakh students of classes I to VIII were being provided one cooked meal under the scheme in the state. While the foodgrains (rice and wheat) for the MDM scheme in the schools is provided by the Central Government, the cooking cost of the meal is shared by the Centre and state government in a 60:40 ratio.

For a long time, the schools holding Balvatika classes have been demanding that these students also get cooked meals.

The cooking cost per child in the primary classes (I to V) is Rs 5.45 per day. For the upper primary classes (VI-VIII), the cost is Rs 8.17 per child. The state government has kept the cooking cost for meals for UKG kids at par with that for primary class students.

The Scheme guarantees one meal for at least 200 days in a year to about 17 lakh students in government and government-aided primary and elementary schools in the state. About 42,000 workers-cum-helpers in 19,680 government and government-aided schools prepare meals for the children.