PANAJI
The Central and State government will together shell out Rs 35.51 crore towards supply of mid-day meal to over 1.56 lakh students in Goa for the academic year 2025-26. Last term, the total cost of mid-day meals was little above Rs 38 crores.
The Programme Approval Board (PAB) -- Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) -- has reduced the number of eligible students from State’s request of 1.61 lakh to 1.58 lakh covering 1,224 schools. This includes 2,562 students under Bal Vatika, 89,584 primary students and 64,801 upper primary students. The total number of working days is 238.
PAB during its meeting held in March, directed the State Education Department to ensure uninterrupted supply of hot cooked meals to all eligible students on all school days even in case of delay of release of funds, food-grains supply constraints or for any other reasons.
The State had submitted its Annual Operational Plan to PAB, who deliberated on it during its latest meeting. The PAB has approved Central assistance of Rs 22.26 crore and 4506.48 metric tonnes of food grains. The minimum mandatory State share is fixed at Rs 13.25 crore as per the existing norms. The PAB has granted liberty to the State to add additional funds from its own resources.
“It is pertinent to note that the Government of India bears the entire cost of food grains i.e. Rs. 16.11crore for the State of Goa at Rs 41.73 per kg for rice and at Rs 29.80 per kg for wheat for FY 2025-26, of which Rs 14.99 crore is as subsidy borne through Department of Food & Public distribution under the National Food Security Act, 2013,” the PAB said.
The PAB has asked the State to approach Union government to seek additional Central Assistance and food grains if it is in need of more funds to implement the Scheme, due to various reasons like increase in the attendance of students, increase in school working days or for any other reason.
“Similarly, if the Central Government observes coverage lower than the approvals, the actual release may be restricted to the actual coverage,” PAB said.
With effect from December, last year, the government hiked the mid-day meal rates paid to SHGs. As per revised rates, SHGs will be paid Rs 8.75 per student per day for 100 gms of the meal at the pre-primary (of government and government-aided schools) as against Rs 8 and primary level, and Rs 11.12 per student per day for 150 gms of the meal for upper primary school students against earlier rate of Rs 10.
