Gujarat Govt Raises Anganwadi Meal Budget by 67 PC; Adds Green Gram to Menu

The Women and Child Development Department announced the decision on Wednesday, and it will cover children aged three to six years across 53,065 Anganwadi centres under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme.

Under the revised arrangement, the additional Rs 3.40 per child per day will be funded entirely by the Gujarat government, resulting in an estimated additional annual expenditure of Rs 80 crore. The existing allocation of Rs 5.10 per beneficiary will continue to be shared equally between the Centre and the state.

The increased funding is expected to support a wider range of nutritious ingredients, including pulses, whole green gram, chickpeas, seasonal green vegetables and fruits. The revised allocation will also provide greater financial support for the local procurement of ingredients used to prepare meals at Anganwadi centres.

According to the department's revised cost breakdown, the daily provision includes Rs 1.24 for tuvar dal, 85 paise for whole chickpeas, Rs 1.30 for whole green gram, 52.5 paise for jaggery, 83 paise for seasonal green vegetables and Rs 2 for fruits.

An additional 65 paise has been allocated for peanuts or sesame seeds, 60 paise for spices and 50 paise for local transportation. Whole green gram has also been incorporated into the weekly hot meal schedule.

Under the revised menu, children will receive a hot breakfast at 11 a.m. and another hot meal at 1:30 p.m. The menu includes boiled or sprouted green gram, thick tuvar dal, vegetable pulao, green vegetable muthia, spiced chickpeas and green gram served with rice and vegetables. Seasonal fruits will also form part of the meal plan.

Other food items include sheera, sukhdi, bottle gourd dhebra, jaggery pudla, bhakhri, dhokla and idli, offering children a wider variety of traditional foods.

The department has issued detailed guidelines specifying ingredient quantities and procurement costs to support the implementation of the revised meal plan.

Officials said the decision was taken under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's leadership, with guidance from Women and Child Development Minister Manisha Vakil.

The revised allocation increases the funds available for each child's daily meals while retaining the existing Centre-state funding arrangement for the original budget. Gujarat will bear the entire additional expenditure, enabling the enhanced provision to be introduced without increasing the Centre's contribution.