TT Impact: State govt hikes material costs for mid-day meals in schools

The Telangana State government has issued an order to increase the material costs for mid-day meals in government and local body schools, following a report highlighting challenges in providing quality food due to outdated costs. The new costs, effective from November 17, raise the amounts allocated per primary and upper primary student.

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has finally issued an order enhancing material cost for serving mid-day meals in the government and local body schools.

This was done after a report titled ‘Cong govt apathy hits mid-day meal‘ – highlighting how schools were struggling to provide quality food due to outdated material cost, published in these columns on November 14.

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In an order issued on November 17, the State government enhanced the material and cooking cost for the mid-day meals from Rs 6.19 to Rs 6.78 (excluding egg cost) per primary and Rs 9.29 to Rs 10.17 (excluding egg cost) per upper primary student. This comes five months after the Central government revised the material cost.

The Central government had on April 21, 2025, enhanced the material cost from Rs 6.19 to Rs 6.78 and Rs 9.29 to Rs 10.17 per upper primary student, with effect from May 1, 2025.

Since the mid-day meal is a centrally sponsored scheme with 40 percent share by the State, the government has to match its grant of Rs 2.71 per primary and Rs 4.07 per upper primary student. This State’s share was hiked after a gap of five months following the Central government’s announcement.

The government has also hiked the material cost from Rs 11.79 to Rs 13.17, including egg cost of over Rs 3, for classes IX and X students in the government and local body schools.

Meanwhile, the government released a total of Rs 44.39 crore towards material and cooking cost of mid-day meals of classes I to VIII for the months of August to September 2025. The grant also includes honorariums for cook-cum-helpers.