The Uttar Pradesh government will provide halwa and upma to children in state-run schools once a week from November through February 2027, adding a supplementary nutrition service to the existing midday meal programme across the state.
The programme will run for 14 weeks, with the food distributed during the school mid-break. Halwa will be served on the first and third Fridays of each month, while upma will be served on the second and fourth Fridays. If a Friday is a holiday, schools will distribute the supplement on the next working day.
The directions were issued by Parth Sarthi Sen Sharma, additional chief secretary, basic education, according to the Times of India report. The government has said the initiative is intended to strengthen child nutrition and improve student participation in schools.
Each student will receive a preparation made with a minimum of 30 grams of semolina, along with other ingredients. The halwa menu includes semolina, ghee, sugar and grated coconut. The upma will contain semolina, seasonal vegetables, peanuts and spices.
The arrangement places the new food service alongside, rather than in place of, the regular midday meal. This distinction is operationally important for schools because the supplementary items will require an additional distribution period, separate ingredient planning and stock management during the 14-week schedule.
Schools have been instructed to use quality ingredients, preferably those that are packaged and FSSAI-certified. They have also been directed to ensure proper storage of supplies and to maintain records of beneficiaries and stocks. Photographs of the distribution are to be preserved for monitoring.
The instructions indicate that implementation will depend not only on the availability of semolina and other ingredients but also on basic school-level systems for procurement, storage, preparation and record-keeping. The requirement to retain beneficiary and stock records creates a documented trail for the programme, while photographs are intended to support monitoring by officials.
The weekly schedule also establishes a uniform operating pattern for schools. Halwa is assigned to the first and third Fridays, and upma to the second and fourth Fridays, with the next working day serving as the fallback when a Friday holiday interrupts the calendar. Schools will therefore have to adjust distribution arrangements around local holidays and their existing midday meal operations.
The government’s stated objectives combine nutrition and attendance. The supplementary food is being introduced as an additional service for children in state-run schools, while officials have linked the programme to improved student participation. The supplied directions do not specify the total number of beneficiaries, the budget allocation, procurement agency or the mechanism for assessing nutritional outcomes.
The programme is scheduled to continue until February 2027. Its implementation will be monitored through the quality, storage, beneficiary and stock records that schools have been asked to maintain, along with photographs of the distributions.
