Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 23 (ANI): The food that travels from the school kitchen to children's plates, along with being a meal, is the foundation of their health, nutrition, and better future. At the felicitation and cashless medical card distribution ceremony for women cooks held at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan on Sunday, the Yogi government's commitment to strengthening the dignity, health, and financial security of cooks was also brought forward.
During the program, the Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh directed the speedy implementation of the department's achievements and welfare programs for cooks, a release said.
Under the PM Poshan Scheme, 1.42 lakh primary and upper primary schools in the state are covered. Hot, fresh, and nutritious meals are being provided to more than 1.46 crore students daily. At the primary level, 450 calories of energy and 12 grams of protein are provided through 100 grams of food grains per child daily, while at the upper primary level, 700 calories of energy and 20 grams of protein are provided through 150 grams of food grains.
The state government provides fresh and seasonal fruits to children one day a week from its own resources. On Wednesdays, 150 millilitres of milk is provided at the primary level and 200 millilitres at the upper primary level. Under supplementary nutrition, additional food items such as chikki, jaggery, gram, and ramdana laddoos have also been provided. In the financial year 2025-26, this additional food material was distributed every Thursday from December 2025 to March 2026.
About 93 per cent of the nearly 3.53 lakh cooks working under the scheme are women. The state government increased the honorarium to Rs 2000 per month by raising it by Rs 500 in the financial year 2019-20 and Rs 500 in 2022-23. Now, Chief Minister Yogi has decided on an additional increase of one thousand rupees in the financial year 2026-27. Following this, cooks will receive an honorarium of Rs 3000 per month. Additionally, Rs 500 is being sent directly to bank accounts via DBT once a year for two sets of uniforms.
Kitchen gardens have been developed in schools with the objective of connecting children with nature and enhancing the nutritional value of meals. Schools with available space were given Rs 5000 and schools with space constraints were given Rs 2000. The fruits and vegetables produced here are used in meals as additional nutrition.
136 centralised kitchens are operational across 25 districts of the state. Hot and fresh meals are being delivered to about 10 lakh children through the Akshaya Patra Foundation and 127 voluntary organisations. The centralised kitchen of the Akshaya Patra Foundation was inaugurated/launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi in July 2022 and by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Gorakhpur in June 2026.
To ensure transparency and quality in the scheme, regular social audits are being conducted. A social audit was conducted in 2,885 schools in the financial year 2025-26, and it is scheduled in 2,838 schools for 2026-27. District and block-level task forces are constituted under the chairmanship of the District Magistrate/Sub-Divisional Magistrate, and the scheme is monitored through an IVRS-based daily monitoring system.
During this event, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Basic and Secondary Education Department welcomed the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Basic Education Minister, and all guests while providing information on departmental achievements. The Director General of School Education, the Director of the Mid-Day Meal Authority, directors of the education department, senior officials, teachers, and other esteemed representatives were present at the program. (ANI)
Yogi Govt boosts honorarium for 3.54 lakh women mid-day meal cooks to Rs 3,000 per month
