Aadhaar card is not required to get the benefits of Poshan scheme: Government

The Women and Child Development Ministry have declared that a child’s Aadhaar card is not required to get the nutrition scheme benefits and that they can instead be accessible by registering on the Poshan tracker app with the mother’s biometric card.

A media story that claimed “millions of children will soon need Aadhaar IDs to obtain their right to a nutritious meal” caused the correction. The WCD ministry emphasised that Aadhar information for children is optional and that the ministry is working to give feeding programme benefits using the mother’s Aadhar number.

“According to a media report, children must have an Aadhar card in order to participate in the POSHAN programme. #PIBFactCheck. This allegation is false; the Poshan Tracker just requires the mother’s Aadhar ID and does not require children to have an Aadhar card “Tweeted it.

The government has suggested that the Poshan tracker be used to digitise the Anganwadi services in order to monitor the nutrition access of children moving between states.

The Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) will be responsible for supplying one hot cooked meal every day in government and government-aided schools from 2021–2025. The Ministry of Education has begun implementing the Scheme. Along with the 11.80 billion students in classes I through VIII attending the 11.20 lakh schools, the Scheme also provides hot prepared meals to preschoolers or Bal Vatika (students in primary schools before class I). No distinction is made based on gender or social class in the implementation of the Scheme, which benefits all eligible children nationwide.

The primary objectives of the PM POSHAN Scheme (previously known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme) are to address two of the most pressing issues facing the majority of children in India, namely hunger and education, by enhancing the nutritional status of eligible students in Government and Government-aided schools and encouraging low-income students from disadvantaged sections to attend school more frequently and aiding in their ability to concentrate in class.

The POSHAN Abhiyaan’s objectives are to enhance the nutritional status of children between the ages of 0 and 6, adolescent girls, pregnant women, and nursing mothers in a time-bound manner with specific aims as follows.