What happened: Children in 2,402 council (parishadiya) schools in Raebareli will get sweet halwa or salted upma every Friday, on top of the regular mid day meal, from November 2026 to February 2027. The order comes under the PM Poshan scheme and covers 2,03,166 children in classes 1 to 8. District Basic Education Officer Rahul Singh has written to all block education officers, Amar Ujala and Dainik Jagran report.
Both dishes will be made from semolina (suji). Halwa will use ghee, sugar and grated coconut, and upma will use oil, seasonal vegetables, peanuts and spices. Amar Ujala reports 30 grams of suji per child, while Jagran gives serving sizes of 62 grams for halwa and 58 grams for upma. Halwa will be served on the first and third Fridays. Amar Ujala says upma will be served on the second, fourth and fifth Fridays, while Jagran mentions the second and fifth weeks. If a Friday is a holiday, the dish will be served the next day, Amar Ujala says.
Why it matters: For many families in villages and poorer town wards, the school meal is the most reliable meal of a child’s day in winter. Jagran reports a cost of Rs 7 per child for halwa and Rs 4 for upma. The scheme also covers Kasturba Gandhi residential girls’ schools. Cooks will get an extra Rs 2 per enrolled student for making the dishes, paid in March, according to Jagran. District MDM coordinator Vinay Kumar Tiwari told Amar Ujala the quantity for each child has been fixed.
Honest opinion: The extra dish adds fat and energy to a winter diet at low cost, which helps children who come to school hungry. The risk lies in the money. Rs 4 for upma with vegetables and peanuts is tight at current market prices, and cooks will wait until March for their incentive while doing the extra work from this week. Past mid day meal changes have worked best where headteachers and gram pradhans checked the kitchen. Expect uneven delivery in the first few weeks, with the first test on Friday, 6 November 2026. Confidence: medium.
What you should do: If your child studies in a council school, ask them on Friday, 6 November, whether halwa was served. If it was missing or short, tell the headteacher or the School Management Committee first. If nothing changes, write to the block education officer or file a complaint on the Jansunwai (IGRS) portal at jansunwai.up.nic.in.
Sources
Amar Ujala (Samvad News Agency), “Raebareli News: Bachchon ko khilayenge halwa aur upma”, 1 November 2026, 12:44 AM IST, https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/raebareli/we-will-feed-the-children-halwa-and-upma-raebareli-news-c-101-1-slko1034-171194-2026-11-01
Dainik Jagran, Amit Mishra, “Raebareli ke do lakh bachchon ko hoga fayda”, 1 November 2026, 4:36 PM IST, https://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/raebareli-raebareli-schools-halwa-upma-added-to-mid-day-meal-40423933.html
Navbharat Times, UP mid day meal to include halwa and upma (state order), October 2026, https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/state/uttar-pradesh/lucknow/up-mid-day-meals-children-will-get-halwa-and-upma-in-their-mid-day-meals/articleshow/134864527.cms
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