Rajasthan Mukhyamantri Bal Gopal Yojana (now Pannadhay Bal Gopal Yojana)

What is Rajasthan Mukhyamantri Bal Gopal Yojana?

Rajasthan Mukhyamantri Bal Gopal Yojana is a school nutrition scheme of the School Education Department, Government of Rajasthan, delivered through the Mid Day Meal Commissionerate. It was launched on 29 November 2022 and serves hot milk, prepared on school premises from skimmed milk powder, to children in government schools.

Rajasthan Mukhyamantri Bal Gopal Yojana was renamed Pannadhay Bal Gopal Yojana on 4 September 2024. Readers searching for the older name will find the same programme: same quantities, same classes, same delivery through the Mid Day Meal system. Both names are in active use, the school register and departmental circulars now say Pannadhay Bal Gopal Yojana, while parents and older notifications still say Bal Gopal Yojana.

The scheme reaches roughly 69 lakh children across Rajasthan. It sits inside the Mid Day Meal framework rather than alongside it, which is why it needs no separate application: a child who is enrolled and present is served.

What the scheme is meant to do

• Add a daily protein and calcium source to the mid-day meal.
• Raise enrolment and daily attendance, particularly in the primary grades.
• Reduce dropout in Classes 1 to 8.
• Improve the micronutrient intake of children who may not get milk at home.

Who is eligible for Bal Gopal Yojana milk?

Children who are covered:

• Children in pre-primary through Class 8 studying in government primary and upper primary schools in Rajasthan.
• Children in government-aided schools covered under the Mid Day Meal scheme.
• Children in madrasas recognised and covered under the Mid Day Meal scheme.
• Children in special training centres run for out-of-school children.

Who is not eligible:

• Children in private unaided schools, which are outside the Mid Day Meal system entirely.
• Students in Class 9 and above, since coverage stops at Class 8.
• Children not enrolled in any covered institution. The scheme is delivered through schools; there is no household distribution route.

There is no income test, no caste category restriction and no Jan Aadhaar requirement. Coverage is universal within the covered institutions.

How much milk does a child receive?

Milk is prepared hot at the school using the powder supplied under the scheme, along with sugar in the prescribed quantity, and is served during the mid-day meal period. The powder is supplied by the Rajasthan Cooperative Dairy Federation (RCDF) through the district milk unions, so the same cooperative network that buys milk from Rajasthan's dairy farmers supplies the schools.

Serving frequency has moved since launch. The scheme opened with milk on two school days a week, this is the figure most widely reported and still the one many parents remember, and departmental guidelines were subsequently revised to extend serving across school days. Because the weekly calendar has been revised more than once and can vary with powder supply, parents should confirm the current pattern with the school head rather than rely on a general figure.

How to apply for Bal Gopal Yojana

There is no application form for a parent to fill. The practical steps are about enrolment and follow-up, not application:

1. Enrol the child in a covered government school. Admission to a government primary or upper primary school, madrasa or special training centre is what creates the entitlement. Coverage begins from the day the child is on the roll.
2. Confirm the child's name is on the school's Mid Day Meal register in Shala Darpan. Milk demand and powder allocation for the school are calculated from enrolment recorded in the Shala Darpan system, so a child missing from the record can be missed in the day's serving.
3. Tell the class teacher about any medical exclusion. Lactose intolerance or a milk allergy should be recorded in writing with the school so the child is not served.
4. If milk is not being served, escalate in order — school head, then the block education officer, then the district education officer, then the Mid Day Meal Commissionerate of the School Education Department.

Schools, not parents, do the administrative work: the school head raises the monthly powder demand, records receipt of stock, maintains the daily consumption register and reports serving days.

How schools receive and account for the milk powder

The department issues annual powder milk demand, supply and stock guidelines that fix how a school estimates its requirement, how the district milk union delivers, and how the stock register is maintained. Key points a parent or school management committee member should know:

• Demand is raised school-wise on the basis of recorded enrolment, not on a flat per-school figure.
• Stock is received against a delivery challan from the district milk union and entered in the school stock register on the same day.
• Daily consumption is recorded against attendance, and the balance is reconciled monthly.
• Preparation is done at the school with the mid-day meal cook-cum-helper.

This paper trail exists because the scheme has had leakage problems. Rajasthan has suspended school staff over the sale of milk meant for students, and the stock register is the document an inspecting officer opens first.

Common problems and how to fix them

• Milk not served on scheduled days. Usually a powder supply gap at the district milk union. Raise it with the block education officer, who can trace the delivery.
• Child regularly missed at serving. Check that the child's name appears in the Shala Darpan enrolment used for the daily count.
• Quality complaint: thin, cold or off-smelling milk. Complain in writing to the school head with a copy to the block education officer; the department's guidelines set the preparation standard.
• Charge demanded for milk. No charge is permitted. Report it immediately.
• Confusion over the scheme name. Bal Gopal Yojana and Pannadhay Bal Gopal Yojana are the same scheme.

Key dates

• 29 November 2022; Mukhyamantri Bal Gopal Yojana launched.
• 4 September 2024: renamed Pannadhay Bal Gopal Yojana.
• Annual powder milk guidelines are issued by the department before each academic session and govern that year's supply and serving.

Help and grievance redressal

• Mid Day Meal Commissionerate, Rajasthan: the nodal office for the scheme
• School Education Department, Rajasthan: education.rajasthan.gov.in
• Shala Darpan: the school-level record system where enrolment and mid-day meal data are maintained
• Block and District Education Officer: the working authority for supply and serving complaints

Pannadhay Bal Gopal Yojana is free. No school, teacher or vendor may collect any amount from a child or parent for the milk served under it.