New Delhi: To encourage healthy eating habits among children, the city hosted its first culinary competition under the PM Poshan scheme on Tuesday. The contest featured two categories of nutritious meals — one based on porridge and the other on millets — to promote wholesome food choices among students.At a school in Shakti Nagar, education minister Ashish Sood felicitated agencies, districts, officials and employees for their contributions to the implementation of the scheme. The top three districts for updating the management information system (MIS) and the automated monitoring system for the PM-Poshan portal were also honoured.Sood praised the tireless efforts of the winners in strengthening the scheme. He emphasised that the initiative not only addressed hunger in the classroom but also improved learning outcomes and promoted social equality. It benefits 16.6 lakh students in 2,793 schools, he added. The event showcased various methods to make tasty and nutritious porridge. “It was observed that despite being a healthy food, children do not like plain porridge much. Therefore, we want to experiment more with millet-based food,” Sood said.The minister added, “The scheme is not just a plan to feed children; its aim is to instil healthy eating habits in children, encourage a healthy lifestyle and create an atmosphere of harmony in society.”He emphasised that the scheme ensured a hot cooked meal daily to all eligible children without any discrimination. It is being run through four agencies: Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Cantonment Board, education department and New Delhi Municipal Council, and meals are prepared through 55 centralised kitchens. From 2024-25, millets have been included in the menu by central govt to promote sustainable foodgrains, Sood said.Akshaya Patra Foundation won the competition while Ekta Shakti Foundation and Stree Shakti came second and third. NDMC was the best implementing agency. For MIS, the top districts were Central and New Delhi (first), East and South West B-II . For the automated monitoring system, the top three districts were South West B-II, North-West B-II and East.
