MP Orders Verification Of PM POSHAN Cooks Amid 74,000 Irregularities

A major crackdown has been launched by the Madhya Pradesh government to verify the records of cook-cum-helpers under the PM POSHAN scheme. This move comes after the discovery of suspected irregularities in over 74,000 registrations and payment records on the scheme's portal.

The PM POSHAN scheme, also known as the mid-day meal scheme, provides meals to schoolchildren across the state. There are approximately one lakh cooks and helpers engaged in preparing these meals, who receive an honorarium of Rs 2,000 per month. However, a review of the portal revealed discrepancies in the records, with the names and addresses of registered cooks being correct, but the linked bank accounts belonging to other individuals in several cases.

The findings have raised concerns over possible fraudulent payments in the scheme, which disburses nearly Rs 20 crore every month as honorarium. To address this issue, the School Education Department and the Panchayat and Rural Development Department have directed all district collectors and chief executive officers (CEOs) of zila panchayats to conduct a detailed verification and update records by July 20.

The verification process will cover e-KYC, Samagra ID authentication, and bank account matching of all helpers. The honorarium will only be released after successful verification and updating of records on the portal. Furthermore, the government will only release honorarium for the sanctioned number of verified cooks. If any school is found to have registered more cooks than approved, the additional honorarium will have to be borne by the implementing agency and will not be paid by the state government.

In addition to the verification process, the government has also instructed Block Resource Coordinators (BRCs) to scrutinize records at the block level and verify cases of duplicate or multiple registrations. Officials have been asked to ensure continuous monitoring of the exercise to make the payment system transparent and prevent fake entries.

To strengthen monitoring and accountability, the government has integrated the PM POSHAN portal with Education Portal 3.0 (EP 3.0). Headmasters will now log in only through official EP 3.0 credentials, while registered login IDs have been made mandatory for BRC officials.

The PM POSHAN scheme is a crucial initiative aimed at providing nutritious meals to schoolchildren, and it is essential to ensure that the scheme is implemented transparently and efficiently. The verification process launched by the Madhya Pradesh government is a step in the right direction, and it is expected to prevent fraudulent payments and ensure that the benefits of the scheme reach the intended beneficiaries.

The move is significant, as it highlights the government's commitment to transparency and accountability in the implementation of welfare schemes. It also underscores the need for continuous monitoring and verification to prevent irregularities and ensure that the benefits of such schemes reach the intended beneficiaries.

In the context of the PM POSHAN scheme, the verification process is crucial to ensure that the scheme is implemented effectively and efficiently. The scheme has been instrumental in providing nutritious meals to schoolchildren, and it is essential to ensure that the benefits of the scheme are not misused.

The Madhya Pradesh government's decision to launch a statewide verification of cook-cum-helper records under the PM POSHAN scheme is a significant step towards ensuring transparency and accountability in the implementation of welfare schemes. The move is expected to have a positive impact on the effective implementation of the scheme and prevent fraudulent payments.

In conclusion, the verification process launched by the Madhya Pradesh government is a significant move towards ensuring transparency and accountability in the implementation of the PM POSHAN scheme. The move is expected to prevent fraudulent payments and ensure that the benefits of the scheme reach the intended beneficiaries, which is crucial for the effective implementation of the scheme.