Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: Goa has received the entire Central allocation of ₹22.26 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) scheme for the current academic year, ensuring uninterrupted mid-day meals for more than 1.58 lakh students across the State.
Officials said the funds were released in two instalments of ₹11.13 crore each. Alongside the Central contribution, the State government has been releasing its share on schedule and has, on several occasions, provided additional funds beyond the mandated amount to strengthen the programme.
For the ongoing year, the total budget under PM-POSHAN in Goa has been fixed at ₹35.51 crore, jointly funded by the Centre and the State. As per guidelines, Goa’s compulsory share amounts to ₹13.25 crore. The State currently spends ₹9.33 per child per day for pre-primary students and ₹12 per meal for upper primary students.
The Central assistance was sanctioned after Goa submitted its Annual Operational Plan (AOP), which was cleared by the Programme Approval Board (PAB) of the scheme. In addition to financial support, the Centre has also allotted 4,506.48 metric tonnes of food grains for the academic year.
During the present term, the mid-day meal programme covers 1,224 schools in Goa. Beneficiaries include 2,562 Bal Vatika children, 89,584 primary students, and 64,801 upper primary students, with 238 working days approved under the scheme.
Officials explained that the Centre bears the full cost of food grains supplied to the State. For Goa, the value of food grains is estimated at ₹16.11 crore, based on rates of ₹41.73 per kg for rice and ₹29.80 per kg for wheat. Of this amount, ₹14.99 crore is provided as subsidy by the Department of Food and Public Distribution under the National Food Security Act, 2013.
The State government has also approached the PAB seeking an increase in the honorarium paid to cook-cum-helpers, proposing that the enhancement be funded through Management, Monitoring and Evaluation (MME) components from the next academic year.
Sources added that Goa may request additional Central assistance if student attendance rises, the number of school working days increases, or other genuine needs arise. However, allocations could be curtailed if enrolment or attendance drops below approved levels.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Education is working on a restructuring of the PM-POSHAN scheme, which may bring changes in its implementation in the coming years.
