3.70 lakh schoolkids in Punjab missed out on free mid-day meals last year
This was revealed in a performance review of the PM Poshan scheme done by the project approval board (PAB) of the Union ministry of education four months ago
More than 3.70 lakh children enrolled in government schools of Punjab missed out on nutritious mid-day meals during the academic year 2023-23.
Of the 19.69 lakh children enrolled in pre-primary and elementary classes, 15.98 lakh students, or approximately 81%, were served mid-day meals on an average daily in government schools across the state under the centrally-sponsored Pram Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Scheme (PM Poshan) last year. In the pre-primary section, also known as ‘Bal Vatikas’, government schools had an enrolment of 1.97 lakh kids in their pre-primary sections and 78,000 of them were left out of the free lunch scheme’s coverage in 2023-24.
At the primary level, of the total 11 lakh children enrolled in classes I to V, 9.40 lakh (85%) students availed hot cooked mid-day meals on an average daily, according to a performance review of the PM Poshan scheme done by the project approval board (PAB) of the Union ministry of education four months ago.
The coverage of 6.72 lakh students of the upper primary classes (VI to VIII) was 80%, with 1.33 lakh children not availing of the free lunch facility. The minutes of the review meeting were released last month.
Though the coverage of 85% of the enrolled students at primary and 80% at upper primary levels in Punjab was better than the national average, the state’s performance had declined last year. The 19% gap in the number of government school students covered and those enrolled was higher than the 13% reported during the academic year 2021-22, during the second and third Covid waves. In Ludhiana, SAS Nagar, Bathinda, Patiala, Muktsar, Faridkot and Jalandhar districts, the coverage of students was lower than the state average last year.
Union school education and literacy secretary Sanjay Kumar asked the state government to take special measures to improve performance in low-coverage districts as well as in ‘Bal Vatikas’.
Punjab Mid-Day Meal Society general manager Varinder Singh Brar said that they are providing mid-day meals to all students in pre-primary and elementary classes and making consistent efforts to increase coverage. “In 2023-24, 16.35 lakh children were covered according to updated figures. The gap in coverage could be due to absenteeism and also some students bringing their tiffin and not availing meals provided at school,” he said.
The ministry also expressed concern over the state government’s failure to check the quality and nutritional value of the meals before serving. It advised the government to conduct testing through accredited laboratories of the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) or the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as envisaged in the scheme guidelines.
The ministry also raised the issue of the Punjab government not conducting health check-ups of 5.86 lakh students and advised it to ensure the health check-up of all children enrolled in government schools. The state’s school education department informed the ministry that IFA and de-worming tablets/medicines were given to all students in primary and upper primary classes. The state’s initiative of developing school nutrition gardens in 18,140 of the total 19,601 schools was lauded by the ministry, which has asked other states to follow the Punjab example in this regard.