Delhi Education Minister Honors PM POSHAN Scheme Contributors, Hosts First Millet-Based Cooking Competition

Delhi – Delhi Education Minister, Ashish Sood,  honored agencies, districts, officers, and employees for their exemplary contributions to the successful implementation of the Pradhan Mantri POSHAN (Mid-day Meal) Scheme at an event held at Shaktinagar School. He also awarded participants in the first cooking competition. The event was attended by senior officials from the Education Department, representatives from the Government of India, school principals, NGOs, students, and various stakeholders.

In this competition, the first prize was awarded to Akshaya Patra Foundation, the second prize to Ekta Shakti Foundation, and the third prize to Stree Shakti. Similarly, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) was also awarded as the best implementing agency in the Union Territory of Delhi. For Management Information System the top three performing districts in updating the PM-POSHAN portal were awarded: first: Central and New Delhi, second: East, third: South West B-II. Similarly, for Automated Monitoring System the top three performing districts in updating the PM-POSHAN portal were also honored: first: South West B-II, second: North-West B-II, third: East.

The Education Minister congratulated all the award winners and praised their tireless efforts in strengthening the scheme in Delhi. He emphasized that the PM POSHAN initiative not only addresses hunger in the classroom but also improves learning outcomes and promotes social equality.

On this occasion, Sood said that “We are organizing this culinary competition for the first time in Delhi. We have included two types of food: one based on porridge and the other on millet-based dishes. It has been observed that despite being a healthy food, children do not like porridge much. Therefore, we want to experiment more with millet-based food so that children can get more nutrition from delicious millet-based food.” The program specifically showcased various methods to make porridge tasty and nutritious.
Sood stated that “The Pradhan Mantri POSHAN scheme is not just a plan to feed children; its aim is to instill healthy eating habits in children, encourage a healthy lifestyle, and create an atmosphere of harmony in society.”

The Education Minister said that “Hon’ble Prime Minister has established personal health as a national priority. Talking about issues like obesity and unbalanced diets from the ramparts of the Red Fort is proof that children’s health is no longer limited to the family but is a matter of the entire nation.”

The Education Minister said that “The centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri POSHAN scheme ensures a hot cooked meal daily to all eligible children without any discrimination. This scheme benefits 16.6 lakh students in 2,793 schools in Delhi. This scheme is being run through four agencies: MCD, DCB, Education Department, and NDMC. Meals are prepared through 55 centralized kitchens. From 2024-25, millets have been included in the menu with the objective of promoting healthy and sustainable food grains by the Government of India.”

The Minister said that the Such competitions will send a message to children and parents that protein and minerals can be obtained only from natural food, not from artificial supplements. He also stated that “Such competitions should be organized at different places in collaboration with NGOs and schools to create new menus and nutritious options.”

Referring to the Prime Minister’s efforts to promote millets,  Sood said that “Such initiatives will increase both diversity and nutrition in children’s diets.” Sood expressed confidence that “Such efforts will raise awareness about the importance of nutritious food among children and further strengthen the Prime Minister’s nationwide mission to make personal health a national priority.”