Lucknow, August 23: The food served in schools plays a crucial role in children’s health, nutrition, and future. During a ceremony at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, the Yogi government reaffirmed its commitment to honoring cooks, enhancing their health, and ensuring financial security. The Basic Education Minister outlined the department’s achievements and directed the swift implementation of welfare programs for cooks.
Under the PM Nutrition Scheme, 1.42 lakh primary and upper primary schools in the state are covered. More than 1.46 crore students receive hot, fresh, and nutritious meals daily. At the primary level, each child is provided 100 grams of food, delivering 450 calories and 12 grams of protein. At the upper primary level, the provision increases to 150 grams, offering 700 calories and 20 grams of protein.
The state government supplies fresh seasonal fruits to children once a week. On Wednesdays, 150 milliliters of milk is provided at the primary level, while 200 milliliters is given at the upper primary level. Additionally, supplementary nutrition includes extra food items like chikki, jaggery, chickpeas, and laddus made from ramdana. From December 2025 to March 2026, this supplementary food was distributed every Thursday.
Among the approximately 3.53 lakh cooks working in the scheme, 93 percent are women. The state government had previously increased the honorarium by ₹500 in the fiscal year 2019-20 and again by ₹500 in 2022-23, raising it to ₹2000 per month. Now, Chief Minister Yogi has announced an additional ₹1000 increase for the fiscal year 2026-27, bringing the total to ₹3000 per month. Furthermore, ₹500 for two uniforms will be directly transferred to their bank accounts once a year.
To connect children with nature and enhance food nutrition, kitchen gardens have been developed in schools. Schools with available space receive ₹5000, while those lacking space are given ₹2000. The fruits and vegetables produced are used as supplementary nutrition in meals. In 25 districts, 136 centralized kitchens operate, providing hot and fresh meals to nearly 10 lakh children through the Akshaya Patra Foundation and 127 voluntary organizations.
In July 2022, the Prime Minister inaugurated a centralized kitchen of the Akshaya Patra Foundation in Varanasi, and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated another in Gorakhpur in June 2026. Regular social audits are conducted to ensure transparency and quality in the scheme. In the fiscal year 2025-26, social audits were performed in 2885 schools, with plans for 2838 schools in 2026-27. A task force at the district and block levels, chaired by the District Magistrate/Sub-District Magistrate, monitors the scheme using an IVRS-based daily monitoring system.
– Vickety/PM
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