PM POSHAN is now a core part of India’s school system

On most school days in India, work begins long before the first class starts. Food grains are taken from storage, vegetables are washed and cooked, kitchens are checked, and delivery routes are set in motion. By the time students enter their classrooms, a hot mid-day meal is ready. This has become routine, which reflects how deeply the PM POSHAN programme is now embedded in the school system.

PM POSHAN began as a nutrition programme, but today it works more like basic public infrastructure. It runs across states, languages, climates, and different levels of administration with a steadiness that few social programmes achieve. More than 11 crore children receive meals every day, but the bigger change is not about numbers. The programme has moved from focusing on expansion to focusing on consistency. The priority today is not reach, but reliability.

This reliability matters deeply to schools. Teachers and school staff plan their schedules assuming meals will arrive on time. Parents send their children to school knowing that at least one nutritious meal is guaranteed. In many government schools, especially those serving first-generation learners, this predictability is not incidental. It directly affects attendance, punctuality, and participation. When food is dependable, school becomes viable in a practical sense, not just an aspirational one.

From an implementation standpoint, the challenge today is no longer about adding new districts or increasing headline numbers. It is about ensuring that the same standards are met every day. It is about delivering the same quality every single day. Food quality, safety, and timely delivery cannot vary when millions of children depend on the programme. This is where PM POSHAN’s progress is most clear. The programme now runs on clear nutrition guidelines, food safety rules, monitoring systems, and defined accountability, rather than informal or ad-hoc arrangements.

The role of public–private partnerships

Public–private partnerships have played an important role in creating this stability. The central government sets policy, provides funding, and oversees processes. State governments and approved partners handle execution. This clear division of roles allows each part of the system to focus on its strengths. Over time, this has built strong operational systems. Large kitchens, delivery networks, and quality controls take time to build, but once in place, they work efficiently and reliably.

Implementation partners see the results of this maturity in small but meaningful ways. There are fewer disruptions, clearer ways to resolve issues, and better coordination with schools. The work now focuses less on handling emergencies and more on following systems and processes. Providing food at this scale may seem simple, but in reality, it allows little room for error. Delays, hygiene issues, or inconsistencies are immediately noticeable. The fact that PM POSHAN largely avoids such problems shows how much the system has learned over the years.

There has also been a shift in how school nutrition is perceived. PM POSHAN is no longer seen only as a welfare scheme. It is increasingly recognised as part of the education system itself. While a meal alone cannot guarantee better learning, it removes a major barrier. For children from vulnerable families, this matters greatly. Regular meals improve attendance and help reduce dropouts by meeting immediate needs alongside long-term goals.

At the policy level, this integration is important. Very few programmes manage to deliver a daily service while staying aligned with national priorities over many years. PM POSHAN does this quietly and steadily. It does not depend on constant attention or frequent interventions. Its strength lies in being predictable.

For long-term partners, the goal is not to reinvent the programme, but to protect what already works. Large systems are easy to overlook when they function smoothly, and very difficult to rebuild if disrupted. Consistent funding, clear responsibilities, and strong operational discipline are what maintain trust in PM POSHAN. On the ground, it feels less like a temporary initiative and more like a service that schools rely on.

That may be its greatest achievement. When a programme no longer needs explanation and is simply expected, it has reached a new level of success. PM POSHAN has reached that point. It now stands alongside classrooms, teachers, and timetables as a regular part of how India’s schools function, every school day.

(The author is CHRO and COO of The Akshaya Patra Foundation)