Home  /  Daily Current Affairs  /  21-12-2021 / PM- POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman)

PM- POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman)

Posted on December 21, 2021 by admin1  57

In News

  • According to official records, around 65 % of 24.95 laid Cook-Cum-Helpers(CCHs) engaged under PM-Poshan (earlier Mid-Day Meal) are paid less than 2,000/month. In some of the states, it is constant at 1,000/month since 2009.

PM-Poshan

  • About:
    • Type: Centrally-Sponsored Scheme.
    • Ministry: Ministry of Education.
    • Coverage: All school children studying in Classes I-VIII of Government, Government-Aided Schools.
    • Funding: Funds for payments to cooks and workers are split by the Centre in a 60:40 ratio with states, and UTs with legislatures.
    • Continuation for the five-year period 2021-22 to 2025-26. 
    • Proposed to be extended to pre-primary or Bal Vatikas of Government and Government-aided primary schools.
  • Nutritional Norms:
    • For children of Primary classes- 450 calories and 12 grams protein
    • For children of Upper-Primary classes- 700 calories and 20 grams protein.
  • Outcomes:
    • To benefit more than 11.80 crore children studying in 11.20 lakh schools across the country. 
    • Investment of more than ? 24,400 crores, including the cost of about ? 11,500 crores on food grains.
    • Development of School Nutrition Garden in more than 3 lakh schools already completed.
  • School Nutrition Gardens:
    • To give children first-hand experience with nature and gardening and to harvest them to provide additional micronutrients. 
  • Holistic nutrition goals:
    • The Policy provisions have also added a 5 per cent Flexi component into the existing budget to allow States to incorporate. 
    • Additional nutrition-rich elements — such as fortified foods, fruits and milk — into the menu. 
    • The concept of TithiBhojan– a community participation program in which people provide special food to children on special occasions/festivals.
    • Provisions for supplementary nutrition items to children in aspirational districts and districts with a high prevalence of Anemia.
  • Social audits:
    • It has been made mandatory in all districts.
    • College students and trainee teachers will be roped in to do field inspections to ensure the quality of meals.
  • Direct Benefit Transfer:
    • States will be asked to do direct benefit cash transfers of 
      • cooking costs to individual school accounts, and 
      • honorarium amounts to the bank accounts of cooks and helpers.

Expected Benefits

  • Tackle Malnutrition among school-going children.
  • Achieve Right to Food and SDGs.
  • Help the Aspirational and Tribal Districts
  • Promotion of ethnic cuisines and culture
  • Promote transparency and reduce leakages (By opting Social Audit & DBT).
  • Promote Gender-Equity and development of girl child. 
  • It supplements education with nutrition.
  • Deter poor house-hold do not send their children to work as their food and education is taken care of by the government.

Major Concerns

  • No increase in monthly honorarium to Cooks:
    • In States like UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Odisha remuneration for CCHs is less than 2,000/month while in states like Tamil Nadu it is as high as 12,000/month, and in UT of Puducherry, it is 21,000/month.
    • Legislation of Minimum Wages does not apply to them as they are classified as honorary workers rendering social service.
  • Funding Issues:
    • Delays on part of the Finance Department of concerned states to release funds for payment to CCHs.
  • Poor Quality of Food:
    • Many cooks are not very well trained for cooking food.
  • Hunger and Malnutrition: 
    • According to the Global Hunger Index 2021, published by Welthunger Life and Concern Worldwide, India ranked 101 out of 116 countries.  
    • According to Oxfam India, the amount for child nutrition dropped by 18.5% compared to 2020-21. 
  • Other Factors:  
    • Corruption, Caste bias and Discrimination

Way Ahead

  • The process of food procurement and distribution should be made more transparent by involving technology.
  • Awareness to remove caste bias and discrimination through stories of Rama, Krishna, etc.
  • Proper and regular monitoring of the scheme and routine surprise inspection to check the quality, quantity, and distribution of food.
  • Health components should also be added to increase their efficiency and effectiveness.

Other Government Initiatives

  • Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) to provide food security to millions of poor in the country. 
  • National Food Security Act, 2013 with the objective to provide for food and nutritional security
  • Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), a scheme under which beneficiaries covered under NFSA are given an additional 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month free of cost.
  • PM Matru Vandana Yojana for maternal healthcare and to provide nutritional and monetary requirements during pregnancy. 

Source: IE

 
Previous article 3rd India-Central Asia Dialogue
Next article Ramnath Goenka Awards

Other News of the Day

In News GIS-Based Automatic Water Supply System for citizens of Cantonment Board under eChhawani project has been launched recently by the Defence Minister of India.  About eChhawani Project  eChhawani is a citizen-centric project of the Directorate General of Defence Estates, Ministry of Defence.  Under this initiative, Cantonment Boards provide online citizen services to more than...
Read More

In News  Recently, NITI Aayog signed a Statement of Intent with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).  About  The partnership focuses on mainstreaming millets and supporting India in taking lead globally in knowledge exchange using the opportunity of 2023 as an International Year of Millets.  The partnership will aim at building resilient livelihoods for...
Read More

In News Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), recently conducted a flight demonstration of a Controlled Aerial Delivery System of 500 kg capacity (CADS-500). Controlled Aerial Delivery System The CADS-500 is used for precise delivery of payloads up to 500 kgs at a predetermined location by making use of manoeuvrable capabilities of the Ram...
Read More

In News India is likely to implement four new labour codes on wages, social security, industrial relations, and occupational safety by the next fiscal year beginning 2022.  About Labour is a concurrent subject: States are required to frame regulations on their part as labour is a concurrent subject. Major Highlights of the New Labour Code...
Read More

In News Recently, the Delimitation Commission proposed six additional seats for Jammu and one for Kashmir valley. About With the proposed addition, the total Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 90 — in Jammu, the number of seats has gone up to 43 from 37, and in Kashmir, by one seat to...
Read More

In News Recently, the Centre introduced the Election Laws (Amendment Bill) 2021 to link voter identity and Aadhaar cards, despite objections by the Opposition parties over the move. About  The Bill amends the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to implement certain electoral reforms. The 1950 Act...
Read More

In News Recently, the Finance Minister stated that banks have recovered Rs 13,100 crores from assets sales of defaulters like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi. About This came as a reply  to a discussion on the second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants which was approved by the Lok Sabha amid uproar by the Opposition over...
Read More

In News Recently, the Centre decided to amend the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002 to plug the loopholes in the Act.  About Multi-State Cooperative Societies(MSCS )and MSCS Act, 2002 Cooperatives are a state subject, but there are many societies such as those for sugar and milk, banks, milk unions etc whose members and areas...
Read More