New Delhi: The Ministry of Education on Wednesday, February 8, asked the Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) for a special audit of the implementation of the PM Poshan scheme in West Bengal.
The audit of the programme over the previous three fiscal years has been requested by the minister of education. Compliance, performance, and financial audit will all fall under this.
According to the CAG audit report, the ministry noted, the necessary corrective action will be implemented. The PM Poshan initiative, which provides cash to states based on proposals received for one hot cooked meal to eligible students in classes one through eight and Balvatika, is administered by the Department of School Education and Literacy.
The Department of School Education and Literacy administers the PM Poshan Scheme through which funds are given to States, based on proposals received from them for one hot cooked meal to entitled children in Classes 1 to 8 and Balvatika. PM Poshan Scheme benefits about 11 crore 80 lakh children in the country studying in government and government-aided schools.
The Ministry said, it has obtained reports about the alleged misuse of funds in West Bengal under the PM Poshan Scheme. The Ministry said, instances of deviations in the implementation of the scheme have also been reported in the media.
Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) earlier known as the National Programme of Mid-Day Meal in Schools is one of the foremost rights based Centrally Sponsored Schemes under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA).
The basic objective of the scheme is to improve the nutritional status of children studying in classes I-VIII in eligible schools. Nutrition and food norms under the scheme are as under:
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