Hyderabad: Telangana recorded zero utilisation of central funds under the PM-POSHAN mid-day meal scheme in 2020-21, even as the Union government released over Rs 45 crore to the state that year, according to data tabled in Lok Sabha on Monday, March 30.
The data, presented by Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary in response to a question by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Janata Dal (United)’s Dinesh Chandra Yadav, showed a broader pattern of uneven fund utilisation by the state since its formation in 2014.
In the years immediately following its creation, Telangana demonstrated relatively strong implementation of the scheme, consistently utilising most – and in some years more than – the funds released by the Centre. Between 2014-15 and 2019-20, the state’s spending tracked closely with central releases.
That trend broke sharply in 2020-21, when Telangana’s recorded utilisation fell to nil, an anomaly that stood out even against the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which most other states continued to record some spending under the scheme.
The following year, the state reported utilisation of Rs 96.41 crore against a central release of just Rs 43.34 crore, suggesting it had drawn on funds carried over from the previous year.
Central releases to Telangana have also fallen sharply over the decade, from Rs 201 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 117 crore in 2024-25, which is roughly half the levels seen in the state’s early years.
The PM-POSHAN scheme, formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, provides one hot cooked meal daily to children in government and government-aided schools from Bal Vatika to Class 8. It currently covers approximately 11 crore children across more than 10.35 lakh schools nationwide.
While the Centre releases funds and sets guidelines, implementation and delivery remain the responsibility of state governments.
This post was last modified on March 30, 2026 3:55 pm