Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on August 23 announced cashless medical cover of up to ₹5 lakh a year for 3.54 lakh cooks working under the PM POSHAN scheme, around 93% of whom are women. The announcement was made at a felicitation and medical-card distribution event in Lucknow, alongside measures to improve their financial and social security. The monthly honorarium for the cooks will rise from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000, while accident assistance of ₹2 lakh will be provided to cooks and their families through State Bank of India. The annual uniform allowance has also been doubled from ₹500 to ₹1,000. Adityanath said the measures were intended to protect the health, safety and dignity of those preparing meals for schoolchildren.
Health Cover Alongside Higher Honorarium
The new cashless health facility will allow cooks and their family members to seek treatment at government hospitals, with coverage of up to ₹5 lakh annually, according to the details released after the event. The government has also tied accident assistance of ₹2 lakh to SBI accounts used for transferring the cooks’ honorarium. Adityanath praised the women working in school kitchens, describing them as the “foundational strength” of PM POSHAN and highlighting their role in supporting children’s health and education.
The financial support comes alongside a broader increase in their monthly earnings. The state government had earlier raised the honorarium by ₹500 in 2019-20 and another ₹500 in 2022-23. With the latest ₹1,000 increase, cooks will now receive ₹3,000 per month. The uniform allowance has also been increased to ₹1,000 annually, up from ₹500.
Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh said the PM POSHAN programme currently provides hot, nutritious meals to around 1.46 crore students across 1.42 lakh schools in Uttar Pradesh. He said the state was also strengthening monitoring, hygiene, nutrition training and food-quality checks.
Why School Cooks Matter to PM POSHAN
The cooks are a crucial but often overlooked part of the school-meal system. According to the state government, around 93% of the 3.53-3.54 lakh cooks working under PM POSHAN are women. Their work involves preparing meals that are expected to meet prescribed nutritional standards and are served to millions of children every school day. The programme provides 450 calories and 12 grams of protein at the primary level, and 700 calories and 20 grams of protein at the upper-primary level. The state also provides seasonal fruits and supplementary food items from its own resources.
The government has also introduced measures to improve oversight, including district-level task forces, social audits and daily monitoring systems. The latest announcements therefore come at a time when the focus is not only on what children receive on their plates, but also on the people responsible for preparing those meals.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
School meals are often discussed through the lens of nutrition, food security and children’s welfare, but the workers who prepare and serve these meals are equally important to the success of the programme. In Uttar Pradesh, thousands of cooks, most of them women, begin work early each day, manage large quantities of food and help ensure that millions of children receive a hot and nutritious meal.
Despite the importance of their work, many have traditionally received modest honorariums and limited access to formal employment benefits. The announcement of cashless medical cover, accident assistance, a higher monthly honorarium and an increased uniform allowance is therefore a significant step towards recognising their contribution.
Healthcare support can protect cooks and their families from financial hardship during medical emergencies, while accident insurance can provide some security to households that may otherwise struggle to cope with unexpected expenses. The increase in honorarium is also important because it acknowledges that cooking for large numbers of children is demanding work that requires time, skill and responsibility.
However, the success of these measures will depend on their implementation. Every eligible cook must be able to access the promised medical cards, understand the terms of the insurance and receive benefits without unnecessary paperwork or delays. The government should also ensure that payments are made regularly and that cooks have access to safe kitchens, clean water, protective equipment, proper storage facilities and training in food safety.
These conditions are essential not only for the dignity and safety of the workers but also for the quality of meals served to children. In the long term, welfare measures should go beyond one-time announcements and include stronger social security, maternity benefits, pensions, grievance-redressal systems and opportunities for skill development.
Recognising school-meal cooks as essential workers would help create a more secure and respectful working environment. Their contribution should not be limited to symbolic appreciation; it should be reflected in fair compensation, workplace protection and meaningful institutional support. Do you think welfare measures for school-meal workers should go further to include stronger pay, workplace safety and long-term social security?
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