Centre urges states to buy mid-day meal pulses from NAFED
Recently, Center has asked states to buy pulses for the mid-day meal from NAFED.
- The education ministry has asked states to procure pulses from NAFED for “Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition (PM-POSHAN)”.
- Government of India maintains buffer stock of pulses through NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited).
- The Center has taken this decision in the interest of students to reap the benefits of economy of scale and ensure assured concessional rates.
- However, earlier in 2022 there was no mention of procurement of pulses from NAFED in the detailed guidelines issued to the States and Union Territories. As per the 2022 guidelines:
- Only packaged pulses, salt, spices, other ingredients and oil bearing the AGMARK quality mark will be procured. No loose material will be purchased. Also, it is necessary to check the packaging and expiry date of the material.
- Further, as per the 2019 Rules, States and Union Territories can procure pulses as per their local taste/ vogue from the central buffer stock maintained by the Government of India for mid-day meal.
- NAFED is a national level farmers’ cooperative marketing organisation, which promotes cooperative marketing of agricultural produce, and stabilizes prices of essential commodities such as pulses.
PM – POSHAN
- Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) is a centrally sponsored scheme. It was earlier known as the National Mid-Day Meal Scheme or simply the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Schools.
- PM – POSHAN scheme comes under the Ministry of Education Ministry.
Source – Indian Express
