Scholarship
Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman - DNH&DD(PM POSHAN - DNH&DD)
Overview
About PM POSHAN - DNH&DD
Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) is a centrally sponsored scheme that provides one hot cooked meal to children in government and government-aided schools. The Ministry of Education is the nodal ministry, and in Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu the scheme is run by the Union Territory's Department of Education. It carries forward the older Mid Day Meal programme, first launched on 15 August 1995 as the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education, which the government renamed and revised as PM POSHAN in September 2021.
The meal is an in-kind benefit, not a cash transfer. It covers children enrolled in classes I to VIII, across primary and upper primary grades, and also reaches pre-primary children in Bal Vatikas attached to government primary schools. The stated aim is to improve the nutritional status of school-age children and to encourage regular attendance, so that hunger does not keep them out of the classroom.
For a family in Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, the benefit reaches a child directly through the school they attend, with no separate application to file. Nutrition norms, eligible schools and grade coverage are set centrally and applied locally through the Union Territory's Department of Education.
Sources: myScheme – Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN), DNH&DD · IBEF – Mid-Day Meal (PM POSHAN) Scheme · Drishti IAS – PM POSHAN Scheme
Who runs it
Provider
Directorate Of Education, UT Administration Of DNH&DD
State / UT Government
Education Department · Directorate Of Education, UT Administration Of DNH&DD
At a glance
Key details
| Level | State/ UT |
| Scheme type | — |
| Category | Education & Learning |
| Beneficiaries | Individual |
| Benefit type | In Kind |
| Application mode | Offline |
Calendar
Important dates
Across all open application cycles.
| Cycle | Stage | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Current | Applications open | 1995-08-15 |
Who can apply
Eligibility criteria
| The applicant must be a school-going child enrolled in a Government (Balvatika–VIII), Government-aided (VI–VIII) or Local Body (Balvatika–VIII) school. | |
| The child should be studying in Balvatika, Primary classes I–V, or Upper Primary classes VI–VIII. | |
| No income criteria are applicable; all enrolled children are eligible. | |
| Children studying in Special Training Centres (STCs) under the RTE Act and CwSN enrolled under Home based Education are also eligible. |
What you get
Award & benefits
- Hot, cooked, nutritious meals provided to students on all school working days.
- Ensures adequate calorie and protein intake as per national nutritional norms.
- Improves health and nutrition levels of school-going children.
- Enhances school attendance, retention, and reduces classroom hunger.
- Supports better concentration and learning outcomes among students.
- Provides essential micronutrients to address anaemia and malnutrition.
- Encourages enrollment in Government and Government Aided schools.
- Strengthens social equity by serving all children without discrimination.
- Includes food safety and hygiene measures for quality assurance.
- Provides support for kitchen devices and infrastructure improvement.
What to prepare
Documents required
Step by step
How to apply
- 1Apply offline
See the official links below for the application portal.
Questions
PM POSHAN - DNH&DD – FAQ
Disclaimer
Scheme details are compiled from myScheme, the Government of India’s official scheme-discovery platform, and are reproduced without alteration. Amounts, deadlines and eligibility change between cycles — always confirm on the official links above before applying. Expertie does not process applications or charge fees.