Keshav Prasad Maurya Honors PM Poshan Cooks in Prayagraj, Distributes Cashless Health Cards

Prayagraj : Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya attended a felicitation ceremony for cooks (rasoiyas) working under the PM Poshan Scheme at the Circuit House auditorium on Sunday. Joined by public representatives, the Deputy Chief Minister inaugurated the event by lighting a ceremonial lamp before distributing symbolic cashless health cards to school cooks.

During the session, attendees watched a live broadcast of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s main address from Lucknow.

Key Benefits Handed to School Cooks
Honorarium Hike: Monthly pay increased from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000.

Cashless Healthcare: Free medical treatment up to ₹5 lakh per year for every cook and their family, modeled on the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

District Coverage: Over 9,000 school cooks and their dependents in Prayagraj district alone will receive health security benefits.

Congratulating the gathering on the state government's decision to boost honorariums, Maurya highlighted that school cooks form the primary foundation of the state's nutritional and educational infrastructure.

"You are fulfilling the sacred responsibility of a mother by preparing daily meals for lakhs of children. Our government previously increased the monthly honorarium from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000, and now to ₹3,000. Under the vision of PM Narendra Modi and leadership of CM Yogi Adityanath, providing cashless health coverage up to ₹5 lakh ensures that no worker's hands tremble during a family health crisis."

Social Inclusion and Women's Empowerment
The Deputy Chief Minister noted that by recruiting local women to prepare daily meals, the administration has fostered sustainable self-reliance and local employment.

Having children from all social backgrounds sit together in unified rows for mid-day meals fosters social equality, cooperation, and community harmony within schools. Maurya instructed cooks to maintain strict hygiene standards while preparing mid-day meals and reiterated the administration's commitment to delivering welfare schemes—including free ration, housing, drinking water connections, and farmer pensions—transparently to every eligible citizen.