SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir received 21,924.79 metric tonnes (MT) of foodgrains under the PM-POSHAN scheme in 2025-26, a decline of about 2.5 per cent from the 22,476.70 MT allocated in 2024-25, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
The Union Ministry of Education said the Centre allocates foodgrains to States and Union Territories twice a year under the scheme, with the allocations approved by the Programme Approval Board (PAB)-PM POSHAN and made to the State Nodal Department and the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
JK’s allocation stood at 21,406.15 MT in 2023-24, before rising to 22,476.70 MT in 2024-25 and then declining to 21,924.79 MT in 2025-26. Over the three-year period, the UT received a cumulative 65,807.64 MT of foodgrains.
The Government said the Centre provides 100 per cent assistance for the cost of foodgrains, transportation and Management, Monitoring and Evaluation (MME) under PM-POSHAN, while the responsibility for providing hot and nutritious meals to children rests with the respective State and UT administrations.
The foodgrains are supplied by FCI, which is required to maintain continuous availability at its depots and permits lifting for any month or quarter up to one month in advance to prevent disruption in the supply chain.
The Ministry said FCI supplies foodgrains of the best available quality, which must meet at least the Fair Average Quality (FAQ) standard. A joint inspection involving FCI officials and nominees of the District Collector or Chief Executive Officer of the Zila Panchayat is conducted to confirm compliance with quality norms.
FCI also retains samples of foodgrains supplied under the scheme for future verification and analysis in case of complaints.
The Government said PM-POSHAN has a multi-tier monitoring mechanism, including the Empowered Committee headed by the Union Education Minister, the PAB headed by the Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, State Steering-cum-Monitoring Committees headed by Chief Secretaries and district-level committees headed by District Collectors.
The scheme guidelines also provide for quarterly monitoring by a district-level committee headed by the senior-most Member of Parliament of the district.
States and UTs have dedicated grievance-redressal mechanisms, including toll-free facilities, while schools are required to display details such as the weekly menu, ingredients, quantity of foodgrains received and utilised, other ingredients purchased and utilised, and the number of children provided meals.
Nationally, foodgrain allocation under PM-POSHAN declined from 26.82 lakh MT in 2023-24 to 24.15 lakh MT in 2025-26. Uttar Pradesh, which was the subject of the Lok Sabha question, received 2,97,399.06 MT in 2025-26.
The Ministry clarified that PM-POSHAN covers children studying in Bal Vatika and Classes I to VIII in Government and Government-aided schools, with implementation carried out in partnership with State Governments and UT administrations.
