Fact check: No, Aadhaar IDs of children are not mandatory to avail PM POSHAN benefits

New Delhi, Jun 30: A media report claiming that the Aadhaar card of children is mandatory for availing of the benefits of the POSHAN scheme is going viral.

"With 25 percent of children under 5 having Aadhaar, Modi govt threat to cut funds to states that don't ensure Aaddhaar IDs for all children jeopardises free, nutritious food for millions of children below 6, lactating woman, " the news report claimed.

"Only those beneficiaries, including children, who have Aadhaar would be registered for the take-home rations, hot cooked meals and other benefits that anganwadi centres provide," the report claimed.

"Beneficiaries would also be required to carry their Aadhaar cards to the anganwadi centre every time they went to collect rations or food," it further said citing guidelines.

However, the Press Bureau of Information has fact-checked the news and called it a "fake" news.

"The Aadhar card of children is not mandatory. The Aadhar ID of the mother is required for the Poshan Tracker," the PIB tweeted.

A media report claims that the Aadhar card of children is mandatory for availing the benefits of the POSHAN scheme#PIBFactCheck

▶️This claim is #fake

▶️The Aadhar card of children is not mandatory

▶️The Aadhar ID of the mother is required for the Poshan Tracker@MinistryWCD pic.twitter.com/KMBVNccEnh

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 30, 2022

"A media report claims that the Aadhar card of children is mandatory for availing the benefits of the POSHAN scheme#PIBFactCheck...This claim is #fake, the Aadhar card of children is not mandatory, the Aadhar ID of the mother is required for the Poshan Tracker," it tweeted.

The Women and Child Development Ministry has clarified that a child's Aadhaar card is not mandatory for availing the benefits of nutrition scheme scheme, and that these can be accessed using the mother's biometric card to register on the Poshan tracker app.

"Aadhar of children for supplementary nutrition is not mandatory. Ministry of Women & Child Development is ensuring the Aadhar of mother/parents is entered in Poshan tracker to ensure nutrition delivery to the beneficiary. SMS would be sent about delivery of take-home ration," said MoWCD.

About PM Poshan

The Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN)' provides a hot cooked meal in Government and Government - aided Schools from 2021-22 to 2025-26.

The Scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Education. Under the Scheme, there is the provision of hot cooked meals to children of pre-school or Bal Vatika (before class I) in primary schools also in addition to the 11.80 crore children of classes I to VIII studying in 11.20 lakh schools.

The Scheme is implemented across the country covering all the eligible children without any discrimination of gender and social class.

The main objectives of the PM POSHAN Scheme are to address two of the pressing problems for the majority of children in India, viz. hunger and education by improving the nutritional status of eligible children in Government and Government-aided schools as well as encouraging poor children, belonging to disadvantaged sections, to attend school more regularly and help them concentrate on classroom activities.