Chandigarh, May 29 -- : The Union ministry of education's programme approval board (PAB) has flagged a significant decline in both school enrolment and mid-day meal coverage under the PM POSHAN scheme in Chandigarh, with total enrolment dropping over 5,000 students and average daily coverage shrinking by 8% in 2025-26.

According to the PAB minutes for the annual work plan & budget 2026-27, meeting held on May 16, headed by Sanjay Kumar, secretary, department of school education & literacy, total enrolment across Chandigarh's 116 government schools fell from 99,872 in 2024-25 to 94,740 - a decline of 5,132 students. The drop in average coverage was steeper, falling from 62,669 to 57,659 beneficiaries - a reduction of 8%.

The sharpest dec...