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PM-POSHAN Scheme

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PM-POSHAN Scheme and the Demand for Higher Honorarium: Implementation Challenges in India’s Flagship Nutrition Programme

Introduction

The PM-POSHAN Scheme (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman), one of India’s largest social sector interventions in education and nutrition, has once again come under policy scrutiny. In a rare show of consensus, 22 States and Union Territories have jointly petitioned the Ministry of Education to increase the honorarium paid to cooks and helpers—officially known as Cook-cum-Helpers (CCHs)—engaged under the scheme.

The demand gains significance as the PM-POSHAN Scheme is approaching the end of its current cycle in 2025–26, with discussions underway on its possible extension. The issue highlights deeper structural challenges in the implementation of centrally sponsored welfare schemes, particularly in the context of inflation, federal fiscal responsibilities, and frontline worker welfare.

Background: What is the PM-POSHAN Scheme?

The PM-POSHAN Scheme, earlier known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, is a flagship Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at improving nutritional outcomes, school attendance, and learning levels among children.

Key Features of the Scheme

  • Coverage:
    • Children in Balvatikas (pre-primary)
    • Students from Classes 1 to 8 in government and government-aided schools
  • Core Objective:
    • Provide one hot cooked meal per school day
    • Address classroom hunger and malnutrition
    • Encourage regular school attendance and retention
  • Policy Alignment:
    • Linked with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020
    • Focus on early childhood nutrition to tackle stunting and learning deficits

The Honorarium Issue: A Long-Standing Concern

Stagnant Central Contribution

  • The central share of the monthly honorarium for Cook-cum-Helpers is:
    • ₹1,000 per month
    • Paid for 10 months in a year
  • This amount has not been revised since 2009, despite:
    • High food inflation
    • Rising minimum wages
    • Expanded responsibilities under the scheme (Balvatikas inclusion)

This stagnation has become the focal point of state-level discontent.

Diverse State Demands: One Issue, Multiple Proposals

States and Union Territories have proposed widely varying revisions, reflecting regional cost differences and fiscal capacities.

Proposed Honorarium Hikes

  • Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand
    • Suggested honorarium range: ₹2,500–₹5,000 per month
  • Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim
    • Demand: Minimum wage of ₹400 per day
  • Kerala
    • Proposed fixed monthly payment of ₹10,000

Interstate Disparities in Payments

The current structure has resulted in sharp disparities across states:

Category States
High State Supplementation Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry (up to ₹12,000 or more from state budgets)
Minimal Payment Delhi, Goa (limited to the central share of ₹1,000)

This uneven compensation structure raises concerns regarding equity, morale, and service quality among frontline workers.

Centre’s Stand on the Issue

The Ministry of Education has reiterated that:

  • Engagement and payment of Cook-cum-Helpers is primarily the responsibility of State Governments and UT Administrations
  • The Centre provides partial financial support, not full remuneration

This position reflects the broader federal design of Centrally Sponsored Schemes, where implementation flexibility lies with states, but often leads to coordination challenges.

Funding Pattern under PM-POSHAN

  • Food Grains:
    • 100% Central Assistance
  • Other Components (cooking cost, honorarium, management):
    • 60:40 (Centre : States)
    • 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan States

While the funding pattern aims to balance responsibilities, states argue that inflationary pressures have eroded real value, especially for honorariums.

Additional State-Level Demands

Beyond honorarium revision, states have placed several related demands:

  1. Increase in Material Costs

    • Rising prices of pulses, vegetables, cooking fuel

  2. Inclusion of Breakfast

    • To improve learning outcomes and address morning hunger

  3. Extension of the Scheme up to Class 12

    • Especially for economically weaker students at the secondary level

These demands signal a push to expand the scheme’s scope in line with evolving nutritional and educational needs.

UPSC Relevance and Governance Insights

For Prelims

  • PM-POSHAN is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme
  • Linked with NEP 2020
  • Targets nutrition, enrolment, and retention

For Mains (GS Paper II & III)

  • Centre–State fiscal relations
  • Challenges in social sector scheme implementation
  • Role of frontline workers in welfare delivery
  • Impact of inflation on fixed honorarium-based schemes

Governance Perspective

The issue reflects:

  • Weak indexation of welfare payments to inflation
  • Over-reliance on state supplementation
  • Need for periodic scheme recalibration

Conclusion

The unanimous demand by 22 States and Union Territories to revise honorariums under the PM-POSHAN Scheme is not merely a wage issue—it is a governance signal. As India seeks to strengthen human capital outcomes under the NEP framework, ensuring fair compensation for frontline workers becomes central to effective implementation.

With the scheme approaching its post-2025–26 phase, the current debate offers an opportunity to reform funding structures, reduce interstate disparities, and reinforce the credibility of one of India’s most impactful nutrition programmes.

FAQs

1. What is the PM-POSHAN Scheme?

PM-POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme that provides one hot cooked meal to children in Balvatikas (pre-primary) and Classes 1–8 in government and government-aided schools to improve nutrition, attendance, and learning outcomes.

2. Why have states demanded a hike in honorarium under PM-POSHAN?

States have demanded an increase because the central share of honorarium for Cook-cum-Helpers remains ₹1,000 per month (for 10 months), unchanged since 2009, despite inflation, rising minimum wages, and increased workload under the scheme.

3. How many states and UTs have raised the demand?

A total of 22 States and Union Territories have unanimously petitioned the Ministry of Education for an upward revision of honorarium.

4. What variations exist in state-level honorarium payments?

Some states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry significantly supplement the central amount from their own budgets, paying up to ₹12,000 or more, while others such as Delhi and Goa provide only the minimum central share.

5. What is the funding pattern of the PM-POSHAN Scheme?

  • Food grains: 100% central assistance
  • Other costs (cooking cost, honorarium, management):
    • 60:40 between Centre and States
    • 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan states

6. What is the Centre’s stand on honorarium payment?

The Ministry of Education maintains that the engagement and payment of Cook-cum-Helpers is primarily the responsibility of State Governments and UT Administrations, with the Centre providing partial financial support.

7. How is PM-POSHAN linked to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020?

The scheme supports NEP 2020’s emphasis on early childhood care and nutrition by targeting malnutrition and stunting, especially at the foundational stage, to improve long-term learning outcomes.

8. What additional demands have states made regarding PM-POSHAN?

States have requested:

  • Revision of material costs due to inflation
  • Inclusion of breakfast in the scheme
  • Extension of PM-POSHAN coverage up to Class 12

Important Update

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