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ChildrenCentral GovernmentVerified 1 Sep 2026
PM POSHAN Scheme (Mid-Day Meal)
Nodal Implementing Authority: Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India
Administrative ScopeCentral Government
CategoryChildren
Target BeneficiariesChildren studying in Classes I to VIII in Government, Government-aided, and Special Training Centres
Scheme Purpose & Core Objectives
Centrally sponsored national nutrition scheme providing hot cooked meals to schoolchildren, improving enrollment, retention, and nutritional status among children in primary and upper primary classes.
Key Benefits Provided to Beneficiaries
Free nutritional hot cooked lunch on all school days providing prescribed caloric and protein norms (450 calories/12g protein for primary; 700 calories/20g protein for upper primary)
Regular health check-ups and micronutrient supplementation (Iron & Folic Acid, Deworming)
General Eligibility Criteria
Statutory qualifications required for enrollment without volatile budgetary or transient criteria.
✓All children enrolled in recognized government and government-aided primary and upper primary schools
✓Applicable to children studying in Balvatika (pre-primary) up to Class 8
✓No income or category restriction for enrolled students