Strengthening the PMPOSHAN Scheme through supply and awareness on Fortified Rice

Training of Teachers, Roorkee

Government of India has continuously evolved its school nutrition program, originally launched in 1995 as the National Program of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NPE) to Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme in 2003-04 and further rebranded in 2017 as PMPOSHAN, the program now has a stronger focus on nutrition outcomes.

Initial aim of the above programs was to increase school enrolment & attendance and combating classroom hunger while the program now targets in reducing malnutrition and improving the nutrition profile of school children. In this regard, additional nutrition programs, including the provision of milk, seasonal fruits, and millet, have been introduced.

Training of Teachers P. Garhwal

To address micronutrient deficiencies, the Government has adopted food fortification as a cost-effective strategy. This includes supplying fortified food products under various Govt. Schemes. In this connection supply of fortified rice across all three Food Safety Net schemes, including PMPOSHAN has been undertaken by the state. The rollout of fortified rice in Uttarakhand schools started during the second phase of implementation.

Challenges Identified

The UN World Food Programme (UNWFP) conducted monitoring visits to different schools as part of technical assistance to Govt. of Uttarakhand and observed that due to a lack of awareness, Fortified Rice Kernels (FRKs) were being discarded by school staff, preventing the intended benefits from reaching the children. To address this, UNWFP advocated for the orientation of teachers and Cook-Cum-Helpers (CCHs) on fortified rice.

 

Capacity Building Initiative:

Working closely with the PM-POSHAN team, a block-wise training schedule for all 95 blocks was developed. Over the course of two months, the UNWFP team, in coordination with the Technical Support Unit (TSU) from UPES-Dehradun, conducted rigorous training sessions. A total of 7,110 participants (teachers and PMPOSHAN in-charges) from 69 blocks across 11 districts were trained on the fortified rice program.

Next Step

The team continues to coordinate with the remaining areas to ensure complete coverage. With this initiative, we aim to reach 10,000-12,000 schools, improving nutrition awareness and ensuring the fortified rice program reaches the children who need it the most.