Diwali Gift for UP Cooks: Yogi Govt Hikes Honorarium to ₹3,000, Payouts from October
In a major welfare decision benefiting grassroots education workers ahead of the festive season, the Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has sanctioned a substantial 50 percent hike in the monthly honorarium of midday meal cooks. Approximately 3.54 lakh kitchen assistants and cooks preparing daily meals under the PM Poshan Yojana (formerly Mid-Day Meal Scheme) will see their monthly remuneration increase from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000. Effective retrospectively from September, the revised earnings will be directly disbursed into their verified bank accounts starting this October, providing long-awaited financial relief to rural and semi-urban workforce households across all 75 districts.
District Magistrates Directed to Ensure Zero Payment Delays
Addressing recurring administrative complaints regarding bureaucratic bottlenecks and seasonal payment backlogs, the state government has issued stringent guidelines to district administrations. Because honorarium disbursements are processed locally through the office of the District Magistrate, state authorities have mandated strict timelines to guarantee that payments are credited on schedule without monthly delays. Treasury and basic education departments have been instructed to streamline digital payroll approvals, ensuring that frontline kitchen workers receive their rightful wages on time without procedural hassles.
Catering to 1.46 Crore Students Across 1.42 Lakh Schools
The PM Poshan Yojana serves as a cornerstone of Uttar Pradesh's public education infrastructure, operating across nearly 1.42 lakh state-run primary, upper primary, council (parishadiya), and government-aided schools. Benefiting over 1.46 crore enrolled students daily, the initiative is designed to boost classroom attendance, eliminate child hunger, and curb school dropout rates. Under standardized nutritional protocols, each student in primary grades receives a balanced warm meal providing at least 450 calories and 12 grams of protein, while upper primary students receive a dedicated dietary portion delivering 700 calories and 20 grams of protein, complemented by fresh seasonal fruit distributions every Monday.
Enhanced Food Quality Audits and NGO Collaborations
To maintain stringent hygiene and nutritional standards, the government has directed local education officers to intensify unannounced quality inspections and sample testing across institutional kitchens. In addition to school-level meal preparation, established voluntary organizations and centralized kitchen networks are actively integrated into the distribution framework. Non-profit foundations currently prepare and serve hygienic hot meals to 991,338 students across 7,849 schools, while the Akshaya Patra Foundation operates state-of-the-art centralized kitchens catering to school clusters in seven key districts, ensuring consistent food safety and balanced child nutrition statewide.
