Rajasthan risks a nutrition crisis as school milk scheme skips kids

The Pannadhay Bal Gopal Yojana is facing a 58 per cent supply deficit, alleged diversion of milk powder to the open market and a hazard from the threat of expired stocksIn Rajasthan, milk meant for children has allegedly often not been reaching them. Reports have emerged about how powder-based milk supposed to be served to schoolchildren is either allegedly getting diverted to the commercial market or, where old stocks remain, coming with the frightening risk of expiry. The result: a flagship state government nutrition scheme designed to supplement the diets of thousands of students is being reduced to a promise on paper.The Pannadhay Bal Gopal Yojana is meant to benefit over 6.9 million schoolchildren in some 65,000 government schools in Rajasthan. The scheme that envisages supply of hot milk to primary and upper-primary students is facing a 58 per cent statewide supply deficit, data from the internal education department has shown. It indicates a supply chain breached at multiple levels—from procurement of milk powder and payments to transportation and monitoring.During a recent three-month tracking period, Rajasthan assessed its requirement of skimmed milk powder for the yojana at 3,756.43 metric tonnes. Against this, only 1,573.81 tonnes were supplied—41.9 per cent of the requirement. At least 17 of the 41 educational districts recorded zero doorstep deliveries. Several major districts, including Alwar, Bharatpur, Udaipur, Bikaner and Kota, reported complete stoppage of milk distribution.The immediate problem appears to lie deep inside the government's procurement and distribution machinery. The state education department and Rajasthan Cooperative Dairy Federation (RCDF) have failed to maintain a smooth supply pipeline. Allocations were reportedly cleared months ago, but procurement and distribution remained stalled. Payments due to dairy federations further complicated matters. There’s also the spectre of the black market. As government schools struggle for milk, investigators have uncovered how some of the very stock meant for schoolchildren was being pushed into the commercial market. In Jaipur district's Chithwadi village, police intercepted a vehicle carrying around 3,000 kg of government-supplied milk powder. The bags were reportedly marked ‘Not for sale—for school supply only’. The milk powder was allegedly being channelled towards commercial mawa (khoya) manufacturers.Subsequently, the RCDF filed a police complaint and an FIR was registered. Investigators found that school attendance records had allegedly been manipulated to show higher consumption or surplus stocks, allegedly enabling the milk powder to be siphoned off.Here is now the yojana works. Milk powder is supplied by the RCDF, which procures milk and converts the surplus into powder. At schools, the milk powder is converted into milk using warm water.The supply crisis has also created a food-safety dilemma. The seized stock included expired milk powder. With fresh procurement delayed, schools are left with stocks carried over from earlier periods. The education department has issued warnings requiring schools to check manufacturing and expiry dates before using milk powder.The Rajasthan government is doing an audit of stocks, but the extent of pilferage is not yet confirmed. “We have ordered that no expired item be served to students. Wherever there is mismatch in stock, we will take stern action if adequate explanation is not given,” said Rajesh Yadav, additional chief secretary, education, Rajasthan.Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, during whose term the Pannadhay Bal Gopal Yojana was launched in 2022, has targeted the BJP government over the disruption and alleged deliberate throttling of welfare programmes. The Congress leader has claimed that children have been waiting for milk while government supplies are being sold in the open market. He has demanded a high-level probe into the alleged black-marketing network.The Bhajan Lal Sharma government, however, faces a more basic test: why did the Pannadhay Bal Gopal Yojana run into such a massive supply deficit in the first place? The timing couldn’t be worse. Rajasthan's children already face significant nutritional challenges. Recent health data points to widespread deficiencies in children's diets, and anaemia and wasting remain serious concerns. Milk cannot by itself solve childhood malnutrition. But when a government programme promises it as a regular nutritional supplement, systematically failing to deliver it amounts to withdrawing a benefit from children who need it most.The state's sustainable development goals dashboard, citing the latest National Family Health Survey-6 (2023-24) findings, shows that 33.3 per cent of children under five years of age remain underweight and 29.6 per cent of five-year-olds are stunted—indicating the nutritional vulnerability with which many children enter the schooling system. So, when government milk meant for schoolchildren allegedly travels to sweet shops, the problem is far bigger than a procurement delay. It shows a nutrition scheme in dire need of thorough investigation and accountability.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsPublished By: Yashwardhan SinghPublished On: Aug 17, 2026 18:16 IST