Delhi government schools: revised PM-POSHAN menu, idli-sambar, not implemented

In short

The revised PM-POSHAN menu, announced in August, has not been implemented in Delhi government and government-aided schools as of 20 October 2026.
Idli-sambar, a new item, was directed to be operationalized by agencies by 24 August 2026 but is currently unavailable.
Schools continue to serve meals according to the earlier menu due to a lack of specific equipment and arrangements in kitchens.
The revised menu includes dishes like idli with sambar, rice with chhole, and poori with black chana gravy, replacing items like ragi halwa and vegetable dalia.
The Directorate of Education had instructed zonal and district education officers to monitor compliance with the revised six-day menu.

Delhi government and government-aided schools have not yet implemented the revised PM-POSHAN menu, which was announced in August 2026. Specifically, the new idli-sambar dish, which agencies were directed to operationalize by 24 August 2026, remains unavailable to students.

The delay is attributed to a lack of specific equipment and necessary arrangements in school kitchens for preparing idli-sambar, per a member of the Government School Principals’ Association. So, schools are continuing to serve meals based on the older menu.

Challenges in Implementing Revised Menu

The Directorate of Education (DoE) had issued an order in August 2026, revising the weekly menu under the PM-POSHAN scheme. This revision followed recommendations from the Meal Review Committee, which considered the existing menu, meal coverage, stakeholder feedback, and implementation experience. Empanelled NGOs and centralized kitchen agencies were given a maximum of two weeks to operationalize idli-sambar, with a firm deadline of 24 August 2026.

However, a member of the Government School Principals’ Association stated that idli-sambar has not been introduced in schools because “The preparation requires specific equipment and the kitchens do not have the necessary arrangements in place yet. Until these facilities are available, it will be difficult for schools to serve the dish as part of the regular meal.” This sentiment was echoed by a School Management Committee (SMC) member, who noted, “The food being served in the school is still according to the old menu. We have not seen the revised menu being implemented so far. Items such as aloo-puri, curry-rice, halwa and dalia continue to be served to students.”

Revised Menu Details and Logistics

The revised six-day menu was intended to introduce various new dishes and replace some existing ones. The DoE had clarified that agencies could serve different approved menu items in different schools on the same day, but all six days of the revised menu were required to be followed in every school. Zonal and district education officers were directed to monitor compliance.

Introducing new dishes across schools presents a logistical challenge, requiring time for necessary arrangements. An SMC member highlighted this, stating, “Suppose an agency is catering to 10 schools with around 800 students in total. Introducing a new item is not simply a matter of changing the menu on paper. The agency has to arrange the required equipment and ingredients, plan the preparation and ensure that meals reach all the schools on time. Such changes need coordination and is a bit challenging.”

Revised PM-POSHAN Weekly Menu Items
Meal Item
Poori with black chana gravy and mashed vegetables
Idli with sambar
Rice with chhole and mashed vegetables
Poori with chhole and mashed vegetables
Rice with dal
Rice with kadhi

Replaced Menu Items
Old Item	New Item
Ragi halwa	Wheat flour and chana masala
Vegetable dalia	Jowar and bajra

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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