The state government has increased the honorarium of 3.53 lakh cooks–engaged in government-run primary, and upper primary schools under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Yojana for preparing the mid-day meal–by ₹1000 per month from September 2026. It will be paid in October 2026.
The decision to hike the honorarium was taken at a cabinet meeting by circulation on Saturday after which the government order was issued.
The cooks will now receive Rs3000 per month for 10 months in a year in their accounts. An order to this effect was issued by Yatiendra Kumar, special secretary, UP government on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government will also provide cashless medical facility cards to the cooks, officials said.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to distribute the cards at an event at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow on Sunday.
The cashless medical facility will cover the cooks and their family members, providing free treatment of up to ₹5 lakh in a year, according to details shared by the basic education department.
Similar programmes will be organised in all districts in the presence of public representatives. The department has also released the required budget of ₹3lakh each to all 75 districts for organising the events under the ‘Rasoiyya Samman Samaroh’ on August 23, an official order said.
{{/usCountry}}Similar programmes will be organised in all districts in the presence of public representatives. The department has also released the required budget of ₹3lakh each to all 75 districts for organising the events under the ‘Rasoiyya Samman Samaroh’ on August 23, an official order said.
{{/usCountry}}As many as 11 cooks associated with the mid-day meal scheme will be honoured. The event will be attended by elected representatives and officials, according to the order, and also 1500 cooks from across the state.
The proceedings of the chief minister event in Lucknow will be screened live at the district-level programmes.