Honorarium of cooks increased from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 3,000,

dress allowance increased from Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,000, accident assistance of Rs.

2 lakh

1.46 crore children from 1.42 lakh schools are getting

nutritious food under PM Poshan Yojana

Lucknow, 23 Aug (HS): Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on

Sunday made four important announcements for more than 3.53 lakh cooks of the

state at the felicitation ceremony and cashless medical card distribution

program of cooks working under the PM Nutrition Scheme at the Jupiter

Auditorium in Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Gomti Nagar.

The Chief Minister announced an increase in the honorarium

of cooks from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 3,000 per month, social security assistance of Rs.

2 lakh in case of an accident, cashless medical care up to Rs. 5 lakh per year

for each cook and their family, and an increase in the uniform allowance from Rs.

500 to Rs. 1,000. The event was organized as a major gift for the state's

female cooks ahead of Raksha Bandhan.

Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, Minister of State for

Basic Education (Independent Charge) Sandeep Singh, MLA Neeraj Bora,

Legislative Council Member Engineer Avnish Kumar Singh, Ramchandra Pradhan,

Additional Chief Secretary Basic and Secondary Education Parth Sarathi Sen

Sharma, Chief General Manager of State Bank of India Deepesh Raj, Chief

Minister's Advisor Avnish Awasthi, public representatives from various

districts, officials and a large number of cooks were present in the program.

In the program, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath honored the

cooks who came from different districts by giving them clothing kits, cashless

medical cards and symbolic cheques for increased honorarium. Many cooks

including Kiran Devi from Sitapur, Asha Tiwari from Lucknow, Sunita and Rekha

Devi from Gorakhpur, Sudesh Devi and Pinky Devi from Aligarh, Sarita Devi from

Varanasi, Geeta Devi from Hardoi, Seema Singh from Lakhimpur Kheri and Khilana

from Unnao were honored. The clothing kits included head covers, gloves and

aprons.

Minister of State for Basic Education (Independent Charge)

Sandeep Singh stated that the PM Poshan Yojana is an important and ambitious

initiative of the state government. Its objective is not only to provide nutritious

food to children, but also to strengthen social harmony, unity, and brotherhood

among children in schools. He explained that currently, hot, nutritious, and

quality meals are being provided during recess to 1.46 crore students in

approximately 1.42 lakh primary and upper primary schools in the state. At the

primary level, 450 calories of energy and 12 grams of protein are provided, and

at the upper primary level, 700 calories of energy and 20 grams of protein are

provided. The state government, using its own resources, distributes seasonal

fruits every Monday and fruits, chikki, jaggery, gram, or ramdana laddus every

Thursday.

Minister Singh said that 3.53 lakh cooks are currently

employed under the PM Poshan Yojana, of which approximately 93 percent are

women. In addition to the Rs. 1,000 monthly honorarium for 10 months provided

by the Government of India, the state government increased the honorarium by Rs.

500 in 2019-20 and Rs. 500 in 2022-23. This is now being increased to Rs. 3,000.

Cooks are sent funds for two uniforms each year through DBT.

Cooks receive regular training on health, safety, hygiene,

nutrition, and culinary skills through the Poshan Film. Culinary

competitions are also held at the district level, with first place winners

receiving Rs. 3,500, second place winners receiving Rs. 2,500, third place

winners receiving Rs. 1,500, and all participants receiving a consolation prize

of Rs. 300. In 2026-27, culinary competitions will be held in all development

blocks of the state, with approximately 22,000 cooks expected to participate.

Minister Singh stated that a task force headed by the

District Magistrate has been formed to effectively oversee the scheme. The

Maa campaign and an IVR-based daily monitoring system are being

used to monitor food quality. Hot meals are being expanded through Akshaya

Patra Foundation's central kitchens in Varanasi and Gorakhpur. He stated that

healthy, educated, and capable children will lay the strong foundation for a

developed Uttar Pradesh and a developed India.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi