The Punjab government has approved the launch of a school meal program in 7,294 schools across the province. The initiative will provide milk and biscuits to more than 1.028 million students.
The program has been approved by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and is expected to begin in September 2026.
Milk and Biscuits for Students
Under the new school meal program, students will receive:
- Milk for three days a week
- Milk along with biscuits for one day a week
The government has allocated around Rs. 6.87 billion for the program during the current financial year.
The initiative is aimed at supporting the nutritional needs of schoolchildren, particularly students studying in government schools in areas where additional nutritional support is needed.
Program to Cover 13 Districts
The school meal program will be implemented in 13 districts of Punjab during the current financial year.
The selected districts are:
- Bahawalnagar
- Bhakkar
- Chiniot
- Dera Ghazi Khan
- Kot Addu
- Layyah
- Lodhran
- Mianwali
- Muzaffargarh
- Rahim Yar Khan
- Rajanpur
- Taunsa
- Vehari
Students in schools located in these districts will receive milk and biscuits according to the program schedule.
Earlier Expansion of the Program
Punjab had previously introduced the school meal initiative on a smaller scale.
During 2023-24, the program was launched in three districts. It was later expanded to 13 districts during 2024-25.
The government has now approved the program for the current financial year as well, with thousands of schools and more than one million students expected to benefit.
Program to Start in September
The school meal program is scheduled to start from September 2026. With the latest approval, the Punjab School Education Department will begin arrangements to provide milk and biscuits to students in the selected schools.
The initiative is expected to provide regular nutritional support to schoolchildren while also encouraging better participation and attendance in government schools.
