Mid-day meal cooking cost increased by 9.6%

Faridkot, October 27

The School Education Department on Thursday increased the cooking cost per child under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in all government and government-aided schools.

42K workers in19,680 schools

The Mid-Day Meal Scheme guarantees one meal for at least 200 days in a year

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About 17 lakh students in govt, govt-aided primary and elementary schools avail benefit in state

About 42,000 workers-cum-helpers in 19,680 govt and govt-aided schools in the state cook the mid-day meal

The cooking cost per child in the primary classes (Class I-V) has been increased from Rs 4.97 to Rs 5.45. For the upper primary (VI-VIII) classes, the cost has been raised from Rs 7.45 to Rs 8.17 per child.

This increase of about 9.6 per cent will come into effect on November 1, said a letter of the General Manager, Punjab State Mid-Day Meal Society, written to all District Education Officers in the state. The society is a wing of the School Education Department.

This cooking cost has been raised after over two years. In May 2020, the state government had revised the cooking cost for the scheme, increasing it by 11 per cent. At that time, the per day per student cooking cost was increased from Rs 4.48 to Rs 4.97 for the primary classes and from Rs 6.71 to Rs 7.45 for the upper primary classes.

The Mid-Day Meal Scheme guarantees one meal for at least 200 days in a year to about 17 lakh students in government, government-aided primary and elementary schools in the state under the Samagra Shiksha, a programme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. About 42,000 workers-cum-helpers in 19,680 government and government-aided schools in the state cook the mid-day meal.

The cooking cost under the scheme involves purchase of cooking oil, pulses, vegetables and condiments. Under the national programme, 60 per cent of the cooking cost is shared by the Centre and 40 per cent by the state. The cost of foodgrains is borne entirely by the Centre.