Maharashtra plans fresh mid-day meal policy, considers extending PM Poshan to Class 10
Recently, a review meeting related to the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana was held on October 5, 2026. During the meeting, Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM), asked the School Education and Women and Child Development departments to create a joint policy which will be related to giving fresh meals for students.
The policy will see whether the students under the Pradhan Mantri (PM) Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana are getting fresh meals on time. Fadnavis said decision-making powers should be transferred to the district level so that arrangements for meal delivery can be done locally.
The Maharashtra CM has also asked officials to assess whether the scheme can be extended to students in Class 10. At present, the nutrition scheme only caters to students till Class 8.
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Maharashtra to assess local meal delivery models
Fadnavis said, “In addition to urban areas, the centralised kitchen model should be adopted in rural areas where it is feasible, to maintain the quality of meals. In remote and tribal areas, since it takes longer to deliver food from centralised kitchens to schools, alternative arrangements should be made through Gram Panchayats.”
He added that Gram Panchayats and local self-help groups can also be involved in supplying meals where centralised kitchens cannot be constructed. District Collectors, Zilla Parishad chief executive officers and municipal commissioners should also look into local requirements before deciding on the right model.
The proposed joint policy will also set rules for food quality, service and payments. The state government plans to ask for suggestions from district officials before they make the proposal final and bring it before the Cabinet.
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State plans local nutrition options
Another suggestion has been made by the School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse about the funds. He said that funds should be given to Gram Panchayats that will see to the distribution of local meals.
Women & Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said, “The department is entrusting ISKCON with the responsibility of supplying nutritious meals to 30 Anganwadis in urban areas. Based on an assessment of its effectiveness, the number of Anganwadis will be increased.”
Currently, the scheme covers 85,206 eligible schools in Maharashtra. According to the rules or guidelines set by the Central Government, students in Classes 1 to 5 will get meals with 450 kilocalories and 12 grams of protein, while those in Classes 6 to 8 will get 700 kilocalories and 20 grams of protein.