Image for representational purposes only | Photo credit: special arrangement
The Center has announced that it will bear the additional cost of ₹425.62 crore in the financial year 2024-25 due to inflation in the cost of food materials under the centrally sponsored PM POSHAN scheme.
Under the plan, one hot meal will be served to 11.70 crore students studying in Balvatika and in classes I to VIII (10.24 lakh) of government and government-aided schools.
Based on the Labor Department’s inflation index, the Ministry of Education has increased the material cost of pulses, vegetables and oil by 13.7%. “The material charges will be increased from ₹5.45 to ₹6.19 for basic and Balvatika classes and from ₹8.17 to ₹9.29 for upper basic classes with effect from December 1,” a ministry press release said of Education. Material costs could not be revised during the financial year 2023-24. Therefore, the inflation value of items under the PM POSHAN basket for both FY 2022-23 (6.45%) and FY 2023-24 (6.74%) has been taken into account to increase the cost.
Every Balvatika and primary school student is eligible for 20 grams of pulses, 50 grams of vegetables and five grams of oil. Similarly, every upper primary student is eligible for 30 grams of pulses, 50 grams of vegetables and seven grams of oil.
The Labor Department provides inflation data for these items under the PM POSHAN basket based on the Consumer Price Index – Rural Workers (CPI-RL) in accordance with the CPI index for PM POSHAN and accordingly the CPI index for the PM POSHAN- basket worked out.
The CPI-RL is based on collecting continuous monthly prices from a sample of 600 villages spread across 20 states of the country.
The new rates apply to all states and UTs. “These rates for material costs are the minimum mandatory rates; However, States and Universities are free to contribute more than their prescribed share as some States and Universities have contributed more than their minimum mandatory share from their own resources towards providing meals with improved nutrition under the PM POSHAN programme, the declaration.
The Center also supplies about 26 million tonnes of foodgrains through the Food Corporation of India, for which it bears 100% of the cost of foodgrains, including a subsidy of about ₹9,000 crore per annum and 100% of transportation costs of foodgrains from FCI depots to schools . “The cost per meal after adding all components including food grain cost under the scheme is approximately ₹11.54 for Balvatika and lower classes and ₹16.74 for upper basic classes,” the statement said.
Published – Dec 10, 2024 9:52 PM IST
