In order to improve kids’ nutritional status, the National Programme of PM POSHAN, formerly known as the National Scheme for Mid-Day Meals in Schools (MDM), provides one hot meal in government and government-aided schools.
This succinct analysis presents PM POSHAN performance trends along the following dimensions:
- Previous patterns in the distribution, release, and use of resources;
- Student meal coverage and provision; and
- Management Information System (MIS) and Automated Monitoring System (AMS).
Cost sharing and implementation – The honoraria for Cooks-cum-Helpers (CCH) and cooking expenses are split 60:40 between the GoI and state governments. GoI is fully responsible for the expense of any other recurring components. The share ratio is 90:10 for the states in the Himalayan and North Eastern Region (NER). UTs (Union Territories) lacking a legislature receive all of their funding from GoI.
GoI has set aside `11,600 crore for PM POSHAN for the Financial Year (FY) 2023–24; this is 9% less than the Revised Estimates (REs) for FY 2022–23 but 13% more than the Budget Estimates (BEs). It is noteworthy, therefore, that in FY 2022–2023 REs for the plan increased by 25% compared to BEs.
Over time, the scheme’s allocations have decreased in order to account for inflation. Real term allocations for FY 2023–24 are 10% less than those for FY 2017–18 based on inflation figures from FY 2022–23.
The states’ receipt of money saw a little improvement in FY 2022–2023. 52% of the authorized funds were, on average, released until December 2022. The amount during the equivalent time frame in FY 2021-22 was 48 per cent.
Nonetheless, the rate of fund release has been sluggish year over year. The GoI released 35% of the funds in the final quarter of FY 2021–2022, an increase from 27% in FY 2020–21. The fastest fund release occurred in FY 2019–20, with the GoI releasing just 10% of the total money in the final quarter.
What is new in the Budget 2024 for Pradhan Mantri Sakti Nirman, PM POSHAN
The government is projected to allocate ₹ 12,467 crore for PM-POSHAN scheme, which is a ₹ 2,467 crore increase when compared to revised estimates for FY24.
The primary objective of PM-Poshan scheme is to enhance the nutrition status of students studying in Classes I to V at eligible schools. The scheme was formerly known as the national programme of mid-day meals in schools.
In absolute terms, the scheme has increased. However, if we look at the allocation as a percentage of the total budget, we see that the PM -POSHAN scheme has a share of 0,26% of the total budget in FY25. This is the lowest percentage in the last 9 years, with the exception of FY24 revised estimate.
In Chart 3, we can see the allocation for PM-Poshti scheme as a percentage of total budget, across years.
11,600 CRORE ALLOCATED FOR PM POSHAN IN 2023-24, 13% HIGHER THAN THE BEs BUT 9% LOWER THAN REs
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