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Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Midday meal costs cut due to early monsoon
midday meal scheme PM Poshan scheme Thanks to the early arrival of the monsoon and the absence of drought-like conditions in Karnataka this year, the state and central government have saved a total of Rs 88 crore under theThis significant saving comes as the Department of School Education did not have to extend the midday meal program during the summer vacation—a routine practice in drought-affected districts. Frequent rains triggered by early monsoon and cyclonic activity in 2025 helped Karnataka avoid declaring drought in any district, eliminating the need to provide meals during official said, 'In 2024, the state had supplied midday meals for 41 days to 26.09 lakh students in drought-hit districts. The centre had contributed Rs 55.82 crore and the state Rs 32.58 crore, sharing costs in a 60:40 ratio. A total of 60,826 cooking assistants were engaged, and the cost per student averaged Rs 5.45. Of the total beneficiaries, 16.25 lakh were primary and 9.83 lakh were high school students.'Under the, the state government provides midday meals during summer vacations in areas officially declared drought-affected. Since no such declarations were made in 2025, the meal service was not required, resulting in a projected savings of Rs 88 2025–26, the department has been permitted to provide meals on 244 academic days to 40.07 lakh students, for which the government has approved an outlay of Rs 607 crore. Officials noted that the unused funds from this year cannot be diverted to other projects. Instead, if needed in the future, the state will submit a fresh proposal to the centre, which may then release additional V, an economist, said that this year's early and consistent monsoon has been a game-changer for Karnataka, especially in terms of resource allocation for welfare schemes. 'The Rs 88 crore saved under the midday meal scheme is not just a financial relief—it reflects how environmental stability can reduce the pressure on emergency welfare budgets,' he said. He noted that in the past years, providing meals during extended summer breaks in drought-affected districts was critical for food security. He said that while the scheme is a lifeline, this year's savings underscore the importance of long-term planning and climate-resilient policies. 'It also highlights how improved rainfall can ease the burden on grassroot infrastructure—cooking staff, logistics, and supply chains. However, these funds must remain accessible for future contingencies,' he said. He opined that the government should focus on strengthening storage, nutritional standards, and readiness for future climate uncertainties. 'With weather becoming increasingly unpredictable, agility in planning and funding is key,' he added.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Govt effects minor reshuffle of OAS officers
Bhubaneswar: State govt on Friday implemented a minor reshuffle of OAS officers. According to the notification issued by the general administration and public grievance department, Anuj Kumar Das Pattanaik, who was the state nodal officer for PM Poshan and Mukhyamantri Poshan schemes, was transferred and appointed as the new director of information and public relations. Surendra Kumar Panda, who was special secretary in health and family welfare department, was posted as the new state nodal officer for PM Poshan and MM Poshan. Similarly, Mitali Patra, the ex-tehsildar of Tangi, has now joined as the administrative officer for CDM&PHO in Baripada, Bhubaneswar: State govt on Friday implemented a minor reshuffle of OAS officers. According to the notification issued by the general administration and public grievance department, Anuj Kumar Das Pattanaik, who was the state nodal officer for PM Poshan and Mukhyamantri Poshan schemes, was transferred and appointed as the new director of information and public relations. Surendra Kumar Panda, who was special secretary in health and family welfare department, was posted as the new state nodal officer for PM Poshan and MM Poshan. Similarly, Mitali Patra, the ex-tehsildar of Tangi, has now joined as the administrative officer for CDM&PHO in Baripada, Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
05-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Two lakh students in drought-hit areas of Andhra Pradesh to get mid-day meal support
Visakhapatnam: Of the 15.2 lakh students enrolled in govt primary schools in Andhra Pradesh, approximately 14 lakh availed of the mid-day meal scheme in 2024-25, accounting for nearly 92% coverage. However, the scheme's reach in upper primary schools dropped to 77%, with only 8.29 lakh out of 10.72 lakh eligible students benefiting from meals under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman programme. Interestingly, while primary school coverage improved from 88% in 2023-24 to 92% in 2024-25, upper primary coverage declined from 79% to 77% over the same period. In several districts — including Alluri Sitaram Raju, Kurnool, Prakasam, Kakinada, West Godavari, Bapatla, Tirupati, NTR, and Palnadu — the coverage in upper primary schools remains below 75%. With drought officially notified in parts of six districts, Andhra Pradesh has proposed meal coverage for 1,23,142 primary students and 87,143 upper primary students during the ongoing 40-day summer vacation in affected areas. The state has also secured approval to engage 5,736 cook-cum-helpers for meal preparation and distribution during this period. These points were highlighted in the minutes of the programme approval board (PAB) meeting on April 22, which reviewed Andhra Pradesh's annual work plan and budget for PM Poshan in 2025-26. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 10-Month-old is battling for his life and only you can save him! Give Hope India Donate Now Undo According to the report (available with TOI), Andhra Pradesh reported 91% utilisation of its allocated food grain quota for April to December 2024. The PAB recommended improvements in supply chain management and urged the state to maintain a buffer stock in schools, as several institutions have flagged meal disruptions due to food grain shortages on the automated monitoring system. For the 2024-25 financial year, the PAB sanctioned 88,296 cook-cum-helpers, of which Andhra Pradesh engaged 80,890 (92%). Central assistance has funded the construction of 32,347 kitchen-cum-stores over the years, all of which have been completed. Of the 93,058 approved kitchen device units, 92,214 (99%) have been procured. Officials cautioned against using aluminium cookware, warning of potential health risks due to aluminium leaching into food. The state has established school nutrition gardens (SNGs) in 19,375 schools (44%) out of 43,915. However, districts such as West Godavari, Eluru, Anakapalli, and East Godavari report less than 30% coverage. As supplementary nutrition, the state govt provides eggs or fruits five days a week, Chikki three days a week, and Ragi malt three days a week from its own resources. PM Poshan guidelines prescribe meal compositions of 100 grams of food grains, 20 grams of pulses, 50 grams of vegetables, and 5 grams of oil per child in Bal Vatika and primary schools. For upper primary students, the quantities increase to 150 grams of food grains, 30 grams of pulses, 75 grams of vegetables, and 7.5 grams of oil per meal. The scheme also mandates the use of double-fortified salt, fortified oil, and specific pulse quantities — 20 grams per day for primary students and 30 grams for upper primary students on all school days. However, these fortified items are often unavailable in local markets near schools, resulting in their limited use in meal preparation. The PAB advised the state to procure pulses from the Union govt's buffer stock through Nafed (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd) to ensure availability, cost savings, and adherence to nutritional norms, similar to the procurement of food grains.
New Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Beneficiary data, monitoring inadequate in ICDS in Tamil Nadu: CAG
CHENNAI: The Comptroller and Auditor General's audit on the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in Tamil Nadu between 2020 and 2023, has flagged several concerns regarding the scheme's implementation, including a lack of beneficiary data, inadequate monitoring and misuse of funds. One of the key findings was that rationalisation of anganwadi centres (AWCs), mandated by the centre in 2014, was initiated only in 2021-22 and completed in 2023. However, the state's ICDS Directorate had no data on uncovered areas or mini AWCs needing upgrades. However, the state said the rationalisation exercise was complete and uncovered areas were identified, the report said. The audit also revealed that the state failed to conduct annual beneficiary surveys leading to discrepancies in data as the total number of beneficiaries differed in each set of data like TN ICDS, Poshan tracker and monthly progress reports. The audit also noted that Rs 10 crore (2020-21) for AWC construction and Rs 7.75 crore (2021-22) for maintenance from the centre were pending as of March 2024. The state government said the funds hadn't been released despite repeated requests. This apart, the state failed to use Rs 3 crore given for Poshan Abhiyaan Award (2018-19) to be utilised for gap filling and innovation. A significant shortfall in coverage of children aged three to six was seen, with only 8.18 lakh of the 18.49 lakh children in this age group covered in 2022-23. The government attributed this to migration to private institutions but failed to address AWCs' lack of adequate human resources and infrastructure to prevent such migration, the report said. The audit also pointed out that only 73% of AWCs were FSSAI-registered. Non-provision of funds for the renewal of FSSAI licence and non-reimbursement of full cost of cooking gas to Anganwadi workers (AWWs) resulted in shifting the government's responsibility on AWWs as well as burdening them financially. There are also vacancies in the AWW positions (18.8%). Other issues included inflated procurement costs for LED TVs resulting in excess expenditure of Rs 33 lakh in surveyed AWCs and procurement of carrom boards worth Rs 3.81 crore in violation of centre's guidelines as part of pre-school education kits which remained unused. The state lacked a dedicated toll-free number for ICDS, and the centralised Poshan Abhiyaan number (14408) offered only Hindi and English options, defeating the objective of an inclusive grievance redressal platform for ICDS beneficiaries, it said.
The Hindu
22-04-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
It is time to change family planning slogan to ‘Two, three, or more', says Andhra Pradesh Minister
Minister for Women Development and Child Welfare Gummidi Sandhya Rani has stated that women should have more children, considering the nation's needs. The concept of two children or one child per family is no longer valid. Participating as chief guest at the State-level 'Poshan Pakhwada–2025' at the VMRDA Children Arena, here, on Tuesday, the Minister said that the time has come to change the old family planning slogan to 'Two, three, or more'. She stated that having more than two children would not adversely impact welfare scheme beneficiaries and that an official notification has already been issued in this regard. She stated that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu aims to ensure women's health and happiness, and he has taken several measures to enhance their welfare. Mr. Naidu was sympathetic to the demands of Anganwadis and ASHA workers and had also sanctioned funds under various schemes. She called upon the field staff to work diligently and urged better coordination between Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) officials and those of the Medical and Health Departments to expand the reach of their services. Ms. Rani explained that under the 'Poshan' programme, the care of children for the first 1,000 days after birth should be given top priority. She suggested measures to prevent obesity and promote overall growth. She also said the Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) module should be implemented strictly and consistently to identify children suffering from nutritional deficiencies. She called upon parents not to discriminate between male and female children but to give them equal priority and attention. Children should be taught human values, and parents should set a good example for their children by avoiding excessive TV watching and mobile phone use. Caesarean sections were more common in urban areas, with 70% of deliveries through C-sections compared to 40% in rural areas. Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad called for developing good eating habits in children by drawing inspiration from Japan. He said that cycling and exercise were compulsory for children in Japan, and TV and mobile phones were kept out of their reach. Healthy eating habits and discipline play a crucial role in ensuring the health of children in Japan, he said. Earlier, the Minister visited the nutrition stalls, put up by the ICDS staff. She performed 'Seemantham', a traditional baby shower ceremony, for pregnant women. A. Surya Kumari, Principal Secretary, Women and Child Welfare, was present.
