Bihar, UP, West Bengal Top In Beneficiaries Under PM POSHAN: Education Ministry To Parliament – News18

Last Updated:March 17, 2025, 18:07 IST

The PM POSHAN scheme plays a crucial role in addressing malnutrition and encouraging school attendance, especially in states with high poverty rates

Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and West Bengal are the states with the highest number of beneficiaries in the PM POSHAN scheme, the education ministry told parliament on Monday.

Bihar has the highest number of beneficiaries under the PM POSHAN scheme for 2024-25, with a total of 1,73,38,305 beneficiaries. This includes 11,426,436 children in the primary category and 59,11,869 in the upper primary category. Bihar’s large population and its focus on school meal programmes contribute to its high enrolment numbers.

The PM POSHAN scheme plays a crucial role in addressing malnutrition and encouraging school attendance, especially in states with high poverty rates.

The second highest number of beneficiaries is in Uttar Pradesh, with 1,63,58,928 children enrolled. This includes 10,577,090 in the primary category and 5,781,838 in the upper primary category. Uttar Pradesh, being India’s most populous state, naturally has a high enrolment in the scheme.

Following Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal ranks third with 1,13,40,496 beneficiaries. The state has 63,10,427 children in the primary category and 40,71,506 in the upper primary category. West Bengal has consistently maintained a strong school meal programme, ensuring that children receive adequate nutrition. Other states with high enrolment include Maharashtra (9,892,877) and Madhya Pradesh (6,335,928).

“Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) scheme is one of the foremost rights-based Centrally Sponsored Schemes implemented in partnership with the States and UTs for providing one hot cooked and nutritious meal to all children studying in Bal Vatika (just before class-I) and classes I to VIII of Government and Government-aided schools. During 2024-25, about 11.20 crore children studying in 10.36 lakh institutions have benefited under the Scheme,” the ministry stated in a written response in the Lok Sabha.

The PM POSHAN scheme is implemented in partnership with the states and union territory administrations.

“The overall responsibilities for providing nutritious and hot cooked meals to the eligible children lie with the state governments and Union Territory administrations in accordance with the Guidelines laid down by the Central Government. All the states and UT administrations are encouraged to decide menus suitable to the local conditions within the prescribed nutrition and food norms and to procure locally grown food items like millets, vegetables, condiments, etc., from Farmers’ Producers Organisations, Federations of Women’s Self-Help Groups, etc., so as to promote local employment generation and economic development while simultaneously improving the nutrition standards,” the ministry said.

Further, it stated, as per PM POSHAN guidelines, the responsibility for cooking/supply of cooked meals should be, as far as possible, assigned to one of the cook-cum-helpers and local women’s/mothers’ self-help groups (SHG). States/UTs are advised that wherever possible, they can utilise the services of Farmers’ Producers Organisations and women’s SHGs.