Archive · 23 Aug 2026
Yogi attacks SP over school videos, announces cook health cover
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke at an event for school meal cooks in Lucknow.
He blamed the Samajwadi Party for sharing videos of old, damaged school buildings.
He said many of those buildings were from before 2017 and that his government was replacing them.
He also said schools now provide children with items such as uniforms, shoes, socks and sweaters.
The government announced better support for 3.53 lakh cooks who prepare meals for students.
Their monthly payment will rise to Rs 3,000.
Their families can receive accident help and cashless medical care.
Yogi also told cooks to keep kitchens clean and prevent unsafe food from being served.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused the Samajwadi Party of sharing outdated videos of dilapidated schools.
Yogi said many unsafe school buildings were constructed before 2017 and are being replaced.
The government announced a monthly honorarium of Rs 3,000 for 3.53 lakh PM Poshan cooks.
Cooks and their families will receive accidental assistance of Rs 2 lakh and annual cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh.
The chief minister also highlighted school infrastructure improvements and urged strict hygiene standards in meal preparation.
- Who
- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Samajwadi Party, and 3.53 lakh PM Poshan cooks.
- What
- Yogi criticized the SP over videos of damaged schools and announced financial and medical benefits for cooks.
- When
- Sunday; the article does not provide an exact date.
- Where
- A felicitation programme in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, with related events at district and tehsil levels.
- Why
- The announcements were presented as social-security support for cooks, while Yogi used the event to defend his government's school reforms and criticize the previous SP government.
Samajwadi Party criticism
Yogi Adityanath's response
Condition of school buildings
Samajwadi Party criticism
Videos circulated by the opposition showed school buildings in poor or dilapidated condition, according to Yogi's account.
Yogi Adityanath's response
Yogi said many buildings shown dated to the pre-2017 SP government and claimed his administration was identifying and replacing unsafe structures.
Record of the previous government
Samajwadi Party criticism
The videos were used to criticize the current government's handling of school infrastructure, as described by Yogi.
Yogi Adityanath's response
Yogi accused the former SP government of poor education, weak law and order, land grabbing and inadequate safety, while saying conditions had improved under the BJP government.
Government performance
Samajwadi Party criticism
The opposition's social-media posts questioned the state of government schools.
Yogi Adityanath's response
Yogi defended his administration by citing new school buildings, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, Bal Vatika facilities, ICT laboratories, student clothing support and a stricter examination system.
- Cooks covered
- 3.53 lakh cooks working in government and aided schools under the PM Poshan Yojana.
- New monthly honorarium
- Rs 3,000 per cook.
- Accident assistance
- Rs 2 lakh for a cook's family in case of an accident.
- Medical coverage
- Cashless treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh annually per cook's family at listed hospitals.
- Event participation
- Around 1,500 cooks attended the Lucknow programme, and cards were symbolically distributed to 11 cooks.
- Other measures
- The government will open bank accounts for cooks, transfer honorariums directly, and double the existing clothing allowance.