The Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented by the Ministry of Education. It provides one hot cooked meal per school day to children in Government and Government-aided schools across the country.
The scheme was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in September 2021 for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26. It was created to improve the nutritional status of children and encourage regular school attendance, addressing the dual problems of hunger and education. The scheme is the successor to the National Programme for Mid-Day Meal in Schools, commonly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDM), which itself originated from the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE) launched on August 15, 1995.
PM POSHAN covers students from Balvatika (pre-primary) to Class VIII. The mechanism is rights-based, operating under the framework of the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA). Key provisions mandate specific nutritional norms: a meal for primary students (Classes I-V) must provide 450 calories and 12 grams of protein, while for upper primary students (Classes VI-VIII) it must provide 700 calories and 20 grams of protein.
The scheme replaced the MDM, but the core provision of a hot cooked meal stayed the same. Significant changes include the extension of coverage to students in Balvatika and the provision for supplementary nutrition in aspirational districts and areas with high anaemia prevalence. Furthermore, the new scheme removed the central restriction on funding, allowing states to include additional nutritional components like milk or eggs in the menu. It also promotes community participation through the Tithi Bhojan concept and encourages the use of School Nutrition Gardens.