Centre gives importance to nutrition of school children – Pradhan

New Delhi – With the Union Cabinet given the approval on Wednesday to start PM POSHAN scheme to provide mid-day meals to students, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the Central government gives importance to the nutrition of our new generation, especially school children across the country.

Speaking to ANI, Pradhan said, “The Centre gives importance to nutrition for our new generation, especially school children and there should be proper nutritious food available, so today the cabinet has approved about one lakh 31 thousand crores for next five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26.”

He also said that the first time, preschool children who will come to school in the 3-5 year age group are also added to the ‘PM POSHAN’ programme and that will be called ‘Balvatika’.

Apart from PM Poshan scheme and Balvatika, Pradhan also said that the cabinet has also started another campaign ‘Tithi Bhojan’. “It is not only the responsibility of the government but the society should also participate in the mass movement,” he added.

Pradhan further informed that CBSE had called one crore children in 20 days from 17 September to 7 October guiding them to bring two tiffins and eat food together with underprivileged children in a government school, at least one day in a month and 68 Lakh students has participated in this program.

Under the PM POSHAN, mid-day meals have been extended to children of Balvatika in addition to children studying in class I to VIII in govt. and govt-aided schools across India.

The Union Cabinet has given the approval to start the PM-POSHAN scheme to provide mid-day meals to students of more than 11.2 lakh govt and govt-aided schools across the country. The scheme will start from this for the next five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26 and around Rs 1.31 lakh crore will be spent on this scheme.