State govt miffed at Centre over cooking cost revision

Months after the Punjab Government sought Rs 2 hike in cooking cost of the mid-day meal per child, the PM Poshan division in the Department of School Education and Literacy increased it by 13.5%, which comes to roughly 74 paise for primary students (classes 1 to 5) and Rs 1.12 for upper primary students (classes 6 to 8).

Education Minister Harjot Bains said the hike was a cruel joke. “The increase should have been enough to overcome the inflation. We are giving seasonal fruits to the students as well, without any support from the Centre. It should be realistic towards the needs of the students.”

Around 19 lakh students in primary and upper primary government schools are covered under the mid-day meal scheme during the 2024-2025 session.

Announced on November 27, the new rates would come into effect on December 1. Prior to the hike, the cooking cost per child was Rs 5.45 each for primary students and Rs 8.17 each for upper primary students. The cost per child has now been raised to Rs 6.19 and Rs 9.29, respectively.

Officials said the Centre contributed 60% in the mid-day meal scheme. The increased hike would add another Rs 40 crore to Rs 457 crore already allocated for the scheme for this fiscal.

Varinder Singh Brar, General Manager, Punjab Mid-Day Meal Society, said, “The state had sought an increase in the cooking cost citing inflation. The issue was raised in a meeting of the Project Approval Board of the Central Government. But the hike is minimal.” Since 2022, the prices of pulses, vegetables and milk have increased substantially. In Punjab, cooking-cum-helpers receive a monthly salary of Rs 3,000 and only Rs 600 of this was contributed by the Centre.