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Scroll.in
a day ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Centre seeks report from West Bengal after sharp decline in students availing mid-day meals
The Centre has sought a report from the West Bengal government after official figures showed that more than 40% of students did not avail mid-day meals under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman scheme in 2024-'25 in the state, The Indian Express reported on Thursday. Citing the latest minutes of the Programme Approval Board under the scheme, the newspaper reported that 10 lakh fewer students availed the scheme in 2025-'26 as compared to 2023-'24. The Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman, a centrally-sponsored scheme, is aimed at providing nutritious meals to students enrolled in government and aided schools. According to the Programme Approval Board, more than 40% of the students enrolled in the scheme did not avail the mid-day meal in 2024-'25 in 15 districts in the state. Cooch Behar had the least coverage at 46%. The Programme Approval Board also stated that there had been a reduction of 4.01 lakh in students enrolment in the scheme from 2023-'24 to 2024-'25, according to the newspaper. There was a reduction of 8.04 lakh in actual student coverage, it added. The minutes added that the proposed enrolment for 2025-'26 in the state also dropped by 6 lakh students. 'The PAB [Programme Approval Board] expressed that efforts may be made to cover all the eligible students under the [mid-day meal] scheme,' The Indian Express quoted the minutes as saying. Coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman at the pre-primary level was 78%, while it stood at 74% at the primary level, the Programme Approval Board said. However, the number fell sharply to 58% at the upper primary level. The data showed that 1,13,44,146 students were enrolled under the scheme in 2024-'25 but only 77,91,946, or about 69%, received the mid-day meals, The Indian Express reported. In 2025-'26, coverage has been approved for 80,16,881 students, the minutes stated. The Programme Approval Board also claimed that a few schools, implementing agencies and municipal corporations were still holding funds outside Single Nodal Agency accounts, or bank accounts established by a state government for a specific centrally-sponsored scheme. 'The state has been advised to transfer these funds immediately and take action against officials responsible for the delays and violations of Government of India guidelines,' The Indian Express quoted the minutes as saying. In light of the minutes, the additional secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Union government expressed 'serious concern' about this trend and sought a report from the West Bengal government by June 30.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
50% students left out of mid-day meal, Centre seeks report from state
A sharp decline in the number of students availing the Mid-Day Meal (PM-POSHAN) in West Bengal — 10 lakh fewer students availing the scheme in 2025-26 as compared to 2023-24 – points to increasing school dropouts in the state. According to the latest minutes of the Programme Approval Board (PAB) under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN), more than 40 per cent of enrolled students did not avail of the mid-day meal in 2024-25 in 15 districts of the state, with Cooch Behar having the least coverage of 46 per cent. Expressing 'serious concern' over this trend, the Additional Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Government of India, has sought a report from the West Bengal government by June 30. The PAB noted a reduction of 4.01 lakh in students' enrolment from 2023-24 to 2024-25, and a decrease of 8.04 lakh in actual student coverage. The state's proposed enrolment for 2025-26 has dropped by another 6 lakh students. 'The PAB expressed that efforts may be made to cover all the eligible students under the (Mid-Day Meal) scheme,' the minutes of PAB read. While coverage of the PM-Poshan at the pre-primary and primary levels stood at 78 per cent and 74 per cent, respectively, it fell sharply at the upper primary level to just 58 per cent according to the minute's data. According to the data, 1,13,44,146 students were enrolled in PM-POSHAN in 2024-25. However, only 77,91,946 — about 69 per cent — received meals. The numbers were worse in districts like Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Malda, Murshidabad, Paschim Bardhaman, and North 24 Parganas districts, where less than half the enrolled students availed the meals. (See box) For 2025-26, the PAB has approved coverage for 80,16,881 students—7,25,624 in balvatika (pre-primary), 48,09,138 in primary, and 24,82,119 in upper primary classes, according to the minutes. The minutes also flagged irregularities in fund management. 'The PAB expressed concern that some schools, implementing agencies, and municipal corporations are still holding funds outside the Single Nodal Agency (SNA) accounts. The state has been advised to transfer these funds immediately and take action against officials responsible for the delays and violations of Government of India guidelines,' the minutes noted. Sources in the state School Education Department cited an increased dropout rate, especially at the upper primary level, as a key reason for the falling numbers. 'It is common practice to avail maximum funds. Sometimes the state gives increased numbers as enrolled students. But, in this case, the actual number of students is much less, which means dropout rates have increased in the state education system,' said a senior official of the state education department. He added that frequent long vacations, decreasing school days, and a widening teacher-student ratio due to unfilled vacancies have all contributed to students leaving the system. Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Enrolment in Govt schools drops; Centre asks states to probe, send remedial plans
A steep drop in government school enrolment at the primary and upper-primary levels across 23 States and UTs in 2024-25 has evoked concern within the Union government, prompting the Ministry of Education (MoE) to ask for probes and remedial action plans from the states concerned. Minutes of meetings held by the MoE with 33 States and UTs in April to discuss performance, plan and budget under the PM-POSHAN scheme show that student enrolment dipped in 23 states, of which at least eight witnessed declines exceeding 100,000: led by Uttar Pradesh (21.83 lakh), Bihar (6.14 lakh), Rajasthan (5.63 lakh) and West Bengal (4.01 lakh). PM-POSHAN — Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman, formerly the midday-meal scheme — covers students up to Class 8 in government and government-aided schools. Launched three decades ago, the scheme is a flagship nutritional support programme for children in pre-primary to Class 8 in government and government-aided schools. Its cost is shared by the Centre and States on a 60:40 basis, with the Centre supplying foodgrains. Besides addressing child nutrition, a cooked meal in school is known to boost attendance, learning outcomes and attention spans. Compared to 2023-24, Karnataka saw its enrolment fall by around 2 lakh; Assam by 1.68 lakh, Tamil Nadu by 1.65 lakh and Delhi by 1.05 lakh (see chart). The School Education Secretary at the MoE expressed 'deep concern' over the trend and advised States to identify the reasons and submit reports by June 30, The Sunday Express has learned. The drop first came to light late last year in the UDISE+ report for 2023-24, which pointed to a sharp fall of around 1.5 crore in overall school enrolment (government and private) compared to the 2018-19 to 2021-22 average. PM-POSHAN minutes show the trend continuing into 2024-25, triggering fresh concern in the government. MoE officials, who did not wish to be named, pointed to two possible causes. The first is a change in data-collection methodology—from school-wise reporting (just total numbers) to student-wise reporting (name, address, parents' names and Aadhaar details). This ongoing 'data cleansing' may have removed 'ghost' entries, they said. Second, officials noted that several States have suggested enrolment may be moving from government to private schools in the post-Covid years, reversing pandemic-era trends. Alongside enrolment declines, the PM-POSHAN meetings flagged low scheme coverage. In Delhi, the number of students availing midday meals fell by 97,000 in 2024-25 versus 2023-24, with only 60 percent of Balvatika (pre-primary), 69 percent of primary and 62 percent of upper-primary students covered—below the national average. The MoE has asked Delhi to 'strive' to improve these figures. In Uttar Pradesh, meal coverage dropped by 5.41 lakh students, by 3.27 lakh in Rajasthan and 8.04 lakh in West Bengal. Some States reported students bringing their own tiffin; all have been asked to check and ensure meal quality, officials added.
The Print
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Slide in govt school enrolments continued in 2024-25; UP alone witnessed drop of 21.82 lakh
The latest data was presented during meetings in February and March between state officials and the project approval board (PAB) for the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) scheme, or the midday meal scheme. The minutes of the meeting were released by the Ministry of Education last week. According to the minutes reviewed by ThePrint, apart from Uttar Pradesh, the Ministry of Education also flagged a significant drop in enrolment in other states in 2024–25 compared to the previous academic year. New Delhi: Government school enrolments in Classes 1-8 fell across several states in the 2024-25 academic year, with the Centre expressing 'deep concern' over the significant decline, including a sharp drop of 21.83 lakh students in Uttar Pradesh alone. Additionally, the ministry highlighted a decline in enrolment in Delhi (1.05 lakh), Tamil Nadu (1.65 lakh), Assam (1.68 lakh), Gujarat (79,416), and Himachal Pradesh (50,469). The education ministry has directed all states and Union Territories to review the situation and submit a detailed report by the end of June. It attributed this decline to a change in data collection methodology, which involved tracking individual student records, resulting in the elimination of duplicate and ghost entries. According to the minutes, Department of School Education and Literacy Secretary Sanjay Kumar raised 'deep concern' over the reduction in enrolments and advised the states to review the dip in enrolments. 'The PAB observed that there is a reduction of about 21.83 lakh in enrolment from FY 2023-24 to FY 2024-25. There is a decrease of about 5.41 lakh students in coverage from FY 2023-24 to FY 2024-25. The Secretary DoSE&L, expressed deep concern over the reduction in enrolment and advised the State to review the above reduction of enrolment and submit a report by 30th June, 2025,' read the minutes of the meeting. In October last year, ThePrint reported that the Centre while flagging a dip in government school enrolments in various states and UTs had asked them to ascertain the reasons for the trend. This included a decline of 28,69,670 students in enrollments for Classes 1-8 in government schools in Uttar Pradesh in the academic year 2023-24 from 2022-23. Declines were also reported in West Bengal (3,70,719), Karnataka (2,82,012), Telangana (2,25,000), Jharkhand (2,23,690), Haryana (1,55,000), Kerala (1,32,941) and Madhya Pradesh (1,14,374). Officials in several states at the time attributed the drop to 'reverse migration' following the COVID-19 pandemic, and also highlighted that students who moved from private to state-run schools due to financial constraints were returning to private institutions. The government's UDISE+ report, released in December 2024, revealed a nationwide decline of 87 lakh students in government schools in 2023-24 compared to the previous year, alongside a rise of 60 lakh students in private schools during the same period. Also Read: Govt school enrolments dipped by 87 lakh in 2023-24. Bihar saw sharpest decline, followed by UP 'Ghost students' & what experts have to say Officials in several states have again attributed the decline in government school enrolments to ongoing efforts to identify and remove 'ghost students' and the increasing shift of students to private schools. However, they maintain that efforts are still underway to determine the exact causes. Education ministry officials also said they have yet to receive state reports on the cause of the decline. 'In 2023–24, the Uttar Pradesh government launched a comprehensive exercise to remove from its rolls students who were enrolled in government schools solely to access benefits while actually attending private institutions. This exercise continued into 2024–25 and resulted in a noticeable drop in enrolment,' said an official from UP's Basic Education Department who did not wish to be named. A senior official from Karnataka, speaking to ThePrint on condition of anonymity, cited a post-pandemic trend of students returning to private schools. 'Government schools saw a sharp rise in enrolment during the COVID-19 period, but since 2023, there has been significant reverse migration to private schools. The latest UDISE report also reflects an increase in enrolment in private institutions,' the official said. Experts have pointed out that states have made minimal efforts to reverse the declining enrolment in government schools since the sharp drop in 2023–24. Sanjay Gupta, director of CHETNA, an NGO working with marginalised children, noted that state mechanisms to bring children back to government schools remain largely ineffective. 'If states claim students are being removed due to enrollment elsewhere, then other states should be seeing an increase—but that's not happening. So, where are these children going?' he asked. Gupta added that this trend reflects a continuing erosion of parental trust in government schools, regardless of the actual quality of private education. 'Even in cities like Noida and Gurugram, domestic workers are opting for low-fee private schools charging Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 a month. The education may be poor, but parents still prefer them,' he said. Centre flags low mid-day meal coverage The ministry also flagged low mid-day meal coverage in 2024-25 in various states and UTs, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. According to the minutes, the ministry saw a significant difference in coverage of enrolled students in the primary and upper primary levels in Jharkhand, as the coverage has gone down to 63 percent in upper primary from 73 percent in primary. 'It is observed to have less than 70 percent coverage in primary in districts Pakur, Jamtara, Girdih, Sahibganj, Deoghar and Garhwa. Less than 60 percent coverage in upper primary was observed in districts Pakur, Jamtara, Deoghar, Sahebganj, Godda, Garhwa, Giridih and Dhanbad,' the minutes read. In Delhi, the ministry noted that student coverage under the scheme remains below the national average, with only 60 percent of enrolled students covered at the Bal Vatika level, 69 percent at the primary level, and 62 percent at the upper-primary level. 'The GNCT of Delhi was advised to make further efforts to improve coverage among enrolled students,' according to the minutes of the meeting. In Karnataka, the ministry flagged a significant decline in student coverage, with a fall of around 3 lakh students in 2024-25 from the previous year. In Assam, the coverage has was down by 4.78 lakh in the corresponding period. (Edited by Sugita Katyal) Also Read: Govt schools in rural India outperform private in bouncing back from COVID-19 learning loss
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.
