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Midday Meal Scheme

The Mid Day Meal Scheme is a school meal programme in India designed to better the nutritional standing of school-age children nationwide.[1] The scheme has been renamed as PM-POSHAN Scheme.[2] The programme supplies free lunches on working days for children in government primary and upper primary schools, government aided Anganwadis, Madarsa and Maqtabs.[3] Serving 120 million children in over 1.27 million schools and Education Guarantee Scheme centres, the Midday Meal Scheme is the largest of its kind in the world.[4]

Midday Meal Scheme
Students receiving mid-day meal at a school in Wokha district of Nagaland state
Type of projectGovernment of India
CountryIndia
Launched1995
StatusActive
Websitehttps://pmposhan.education.gov.in/

The Midday Meal Scheme has been implemented in the Union Territory of Puducherry under the French Administration since 1930.[5] In post-independent India, the Midday Meal Scheme was first launched in Tamil Nadu, pioneered by the former Chief minister K. Kamaraj in the early 1960s. By 2002, the scheme was implemented in all of the states under the orders of the Supreme Court of India.[6]

Ajay Kumar Director of Poshan Abhiyaan Shared 'The name of the scheme has been changed to PM-POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) Scheme, in September 2021, by MoE (Ministry of Education), which is the ministry responsible for the scheme'.,[7] The Central Government also announced that an additional 24 lakh students receiving pre-primary education at government & government-aided schools would also be included under the scheme by 2022.[8]

Under article 24, paragraph 2c[9] of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which India is a party,[10] India has committed to yielding "adequate nutritious food" for children. The programme has undergone many changes since its launch in 1995. The Midday Meal Scheme is covered by the National Food Security Act, 2013. The legal backing to the Indian school meal programme is akin to the legal backing provided in the US through the National School Lunch Act.

History edit

The Midday Meal Scheme refers to the government of India programme introduced in all government elementary schools to provide children with cooked lunches. Tamil Nadu was the first state in India to introduce this scheme. The first school which had the scheme was the Sourashtra Boys Higher Secondary School, Madurai, which implemented it in 1955. On 28 November 2001, the Supreme Court asked all state governments to begin this programme in their schools within 6 months.[6] The programme has shown many positive effects. Many parents who couldn't send their children to schools due to poverty, were eager to get their children free nutritious food and this incentivized them to send their children to school. The Midday Meal Scheme increased the number of school-going children.

Roots of the programme edit

The roots of the programme can be traced back to the pre-independence era, when a midday meal programme was introduced in 1925 in Tamil Nadu.[11] Initiatives by state governments began in the 1962–63 school year.[12]

The Indian state Tamil Nadu was a pioneer in introducing midday meal programmes in India to increase the number of children enrolling in school; K. Kamaraj, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at the time, introduced it first in Chennai and later extended it to all districts of Tamil Nadu.[12] During 1982, 1 July onwards, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. G. Ramachandran upgraded the existing midday meal scheme in the state to 'Nutritious noon-meal scheme'[13] keeping in mind that around 68 lakh children were malnourished.[14] Gujarat was the second state to introduce an MDM scheme in 1984, but it was later discontinued.[15]

A midday meal scheme was introduced in Kerala in 1984, and was gradually expanded to include more schools and grades.[16] By 1990–91, twelve states were funding the scheme to all or most of the students in their area: Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh. Karnataka, Odisha and West Bengal received international aid to help with the implementation of the programme, while in AP and Rajasthan the programme was completely funded by foreign aid.[17]

In Karnataka, the Children's LoveCastles Trust started providing midday meals in 1997. A total of eight schools were adopted and a food bank programme and an Angganwasi milk Programme were started. The food-bank programme was replaced by the State Government midday meal scheme.[18]

Initiatives by the central government edit

 
President Pranab Mukherjee launching mid-day meal scheme at a Central Government-run school

The government of India initiated the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE) on 15 August 1995.[4] The objective of the scheme is to help improve the effectiveness of primary education by improving the nutritional status of primary school children. Initially, the scheme was implemented in 2,408 blocks of the country to provide food to students in classes one through five of government, government-aided and local body run schools. By 1997–98, the scheme had been implemented across the country. Under this programme, a cooked midday meal with 300 calories and 12 grams of protein is provided to all children enrolled in classes one to five. In October 2007, the scheme included students in upper primary classes of six to eight in 3,479 educationally backward blocks,[19] and the name was changed from National Programme for Nutrition Support to Primary Education to National Programme of Mid Day Meals in Schools.[20] Though cooked food was to be provided, most states (apart from those already providing cooked food) chose to provide "dry rations" to students. "Dry rations" refers to the provision of uncooked 3 kg of wheat or rice to children with 80% attendance.

Supreme court order edit

In April 2001, the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) initiated the Public Interest Litigation (Civil) No. 196/2001, People's Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India & Others[21] – popularly known as the "right to food" case. The PUCL argued that article 21 – "right to life" of the Indian constitution when read together with articles 39(a) and 47, makes the right to food a derived fundamental right which is enforceable by virtue of the constitutional remedy provided under article 32 of the constitution. The PUCL argued that excess food stocks with the Food Corporation of India should be fed to hungry citizens. This included providing midday meals in primary schools. The scheme came into force with the supreme court order dated 28 November 2001,[22] which requires all government and government-assisted primary schools to provide cooked midday meals.[23]

Interim orders edit

The Supreme Court occasionally issues interim orders regarding midday meals.[24] Some examples are:[23]

Order regarding Exact text Order dated
Basic entitlement "Every child in every place and Government assisted Primary Schools with a prepared midday meal with a minimum content of 300 calories and 8–12 grams of protein each day of school for a minimum of 200 days" 28 November 2001[25]
Charges on conversion cost "The conversion costs for a cooked meal, under no circumstances, shall be recovered from the children or their parents" 20 April 2004[26]
Central assistance "The Central Government... shall also allocate funds to meet with the conversion costs of food-grains into cooked midday meals" 20 April 2004[26]
Kitchen sheds "The Central Government shall make provisions for construction of kitchen sheds" 20 April 2004[26]
Priority to Dalit cooks "In appointment of cooks and helpers, preference shall be given to Dalits, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes" 20 April 2004[26]
Quality safeguards "Attempts shall be made for better infrastructure, improved facilities (safe drinking water etc.), closer monitoring (regular inspection etc.) and other quality safeguards as also the improvement of the contents of the meal so as to provide nutritious meal to the children of the primary schools" 20 April 2004[26]
Drought areas "In drought affected areas, midday meals shall be supplied even during summer vacations" 20 April 2004[26]

Entitlements edit

The nutritional guidelines for the minimum amount of food and calorie content per child per day are:[3]

Entitlement norm per child per day under MDM
Item Primary (class one to five) Upper primary (class six to eight)
Calories 450 700
Protein (in grams) 12 20
Rice / wheat (in grams) 100 150
Dal (in grams) 20 30
Vegetables (in grams) 50 75
Oil and fat (in grams) 5 7.5

In the case of micronutrients (vitamin A, iron, and folate) tablets and de-worming medicines, the student is entitled to receive the amount provided for in the school health programme of the National Rural Health Mission.[27]

Finances edit

The central and state governments share the cost of the Midday Meal Scheme, with the centre providing 60 percent and the states 40 percent.[28] The central government provides grains and financing for other food. Costs for facilities, transportation, and labour is shared by the federal and state governments.[29] The participating states/territories contribute different amounts of money, depending on whether they are Himalayan states, Northeastern Region (NER) states, union territories without legislature, or the residual (Non-NER states and union territories with legislature).[23][30] The share contributed by states is often larger than what is stipulated. While the eleventh five-year plan allocated 384.9 billion (equivalent to 450 billion or US$5.7 billion in 2023) for the scheme, the twelfth five-year plan has allocated 901.55 billion (US$11 billion), a 134 percent rise.[31] The public expenditure for the Mid Day Meal Programme has gone up from 73.24 billion (US$920 million) in 2007–08 to 132.15 billion (US$1.7 billion) in 2013–14.[32] In 2020-21, the Midday Meal Scheme budget comprised 11% of the total budget for the Ministry of Education.[30] The per day cooking cost per child at the primary level has been fixed to 4.13 (5.2¢ US) while at the upper primary level is 6.18 (7.7¢ US).[33]

Implementation models edit

Decentralised model edit

This is the most widespread practice. In the decentralised model, meals are cooked on-site by local cooks and helpers or self-help groups. This system has the advantage of being able to serve local cuisine, providing jobs in the area, and minimising waste. It also allows for better monitoring (e.g., by parents and teachers). In total, the MDM Scheme employs over 2.5 million cooks/food preparers (referred to as cooks-cum-helpers), usually providing a small honorarium for their work (equal to approximately US$14 per month).[34]

In the absence of adequate infrastructure (such as kitchen sheds, utensils etc.), it can lead to accidents and maintaining hygiene can be difficult.[35] In 2004, 87 children died when the thatched roof of a classroom was ignited by sparks from a cooking fire.[36] In 2011, a child died after succumbing to burn injuries she sustained after accidentally falling into a cooking vessel.[37]

Centralised model edit

In the centralised model, an external organisation cooks and delivers the meal to schools, mostly through public-private partnerships. Centralised kitchens are seen more in urban areas, where density of schools is high so that transporting food is a financially viable option. Advantages of centralised kitchens include ensuring better hygienic as large scale cooking is done through largely automated processes. Various NGOs such as the Nalabothu Foundation, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Ekta Shakti Foundation, Naandi Foundation, and Jay Gee Humanitarian Society provide midday meals.[28]

A study of centralised kitchens in Delhi in 2007 found that even with centralised kitchens, the quality of food needed to be improved.[38] The study also found that when the food arrives and is of inadequate quality, even teachers feel helpless and do not know whom to complain to.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development reported that 95% of tested meal samples prepared by NGOs in Delhi did not meet nutritional standards in 2010–12. In response, the ministry withheld 50% of the payment for the deficient meals.[39]

International assistance edit

International voluntary and charity organisations have assisted. Church World Service has provided milk powder to Delhi and Madras Municipal Corporation; CARE has provided corn soya meal, Bulgar wheat, and vegetable oils; and UNICEF has provided high proteins foods and educational support.[40] In 1982, 'Food for Learning' was launched with assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Initially the programme was aimed at scheduled caste and scheduled tribe girls.[40] In 1983, the federal Department of Education prepared a scheme under the auspices of the World Food Programme to supply meals to 13.6 million scheduled caste girls and 10.09 million scheduled tribe girls in classes one to five in 15 states and three union territories. The value of the food itself was $163.27 million per year.[40] Labour, facilities, and transportation costs were to be paid by the state governments. The reaction among the states and union territories was mixed. Many states were interested, but some were concerned about their ability to afford it if the FAO support were to be withdrawn.[1]

Tithi Bhojan edit

Tithi Bhojan is a concept designed to ensure greater public participation under the Midday Meal Programme, that started out in the state of Gujarat. In order to generate greater community participation, local members were encouraged to celebrate social events like birth of a child and homewarming by donating to the midday meals served in the local schools. It is voluntarily served by the community/family among school children in several forms such as sweets and savoury snacks, along with regular MDM, full meals, supplementary nutritive items like sprouted beans, and contributions in kind such as cookware, utensils, dinner sets or glasses for drinking water. The concept has been adopted by 10 other states, some with local nomenclatures like "Sampriti Bhojan" in Assam, "Dham" in Himachal Pradesh, "Sneh Bhojan" in Maharashtra, "Shalegagi Naavu Neevu" in Karnataka, "Anna Dhanam" in Puducherry, "Priti Bhoj" in Punjab and "Utsav Bhoj" in Rajasthan. In the North Indian states of Uttarakhand, Haryana and the Union territory of Chandigarh, the scheme retains its original name of Tithi Bhojan.[41]

Monitoring and evaluation edit

Monitoring mechanism edit

Committees to monitor the MDM Programme[29]
Level Committee Frequency of meeting
National The national level steering / monitoring committee
Programme Approval Board (PAB)
Quarterly
State The state level steering / monitoring committee Quarterly
District The district level committee Monthly
Municipal The municipal committee Monthly
Block The Mandal level committee Fortnightly
Village Panchayat level sub-committee Day-to-day functioning of the implementation of the scheme
School School management and development committee
or Parent Teacher Association.
Monthly and as when it is

required

The government of India Review Missions on Mid Day Meal Scheme, comprising members from the central government, state governments, UNICEF, and the office of the supreme court commissioner was created in 2010 to review the programme and offer suggestions for improvement.[42] The scheme is independently monitored twice a year.[43]

Evaluation of the scheme edit

The MDM Scheme has many potential benefits: attracting children from disadvantaged sections (especially girls, Dalits and Adivasis) to school, improving regularity, nutritional benefits, socialisation benefits and benefits to women are some that have been highlighted.[44]

 
School students taking Mid day meal in a school of Haryana province of India

Studies by economists show that some of these benefits have indeed been realised. The positive effect on enrollment of disadvantaged children (Dreze and Kingdon), on attendance (by Chakraborty, Jayaraman, Pande),[45] on learning effort (by Booruah, Afridi and Somanathan), on improving nutritional inputs (Afridi), and on improving nutritional outcomes (by Singh, Dercon and Parker).

Caste based discrimination continues to occur in the serving of food, though the government seems unwilling to acknowledge this.[46][failed verification] Sukhdeo Thorat and Joel Lee found in their 2005 study that caste discrimination was occurring in conjunction with the Mid Day Meals programme.[47]

Media reports also document the positive effect of the programme for women, especially working women[48] and its popularity among parents, children and teachers alike. Media reports have also highlighted several implementation issues, including irregularity, corruption, hygiene, caste discrimination, etc. A few such incidents are listed below:

  • In December 2005, Delhi police seized eight trucks laden with 2,760 sacks of rice meant for primary school children. The rice was being transported from Food Corporation of India godowns Bulandshahr district to North Delhi. The police stopped the trucks and investigators later discovered that the rice was being stolen by an NGO.[49]
  • In November 2006, the residents of Pembong village (30 km from Darjeeling) accused a group of teachers of embezzling midday meals. In a written complaint, the residents claimed that students at the primary school had not received their midday meal for the past year and a half.[50]
  • In December 2006, The Times of India reported that school staff were inflating attendance in order to obtain food grains.[51]
  • Twenty-three children died in Dharma Sati village in Saran District on 16 July 2013 after eating pesticide-contaminated mid day meals.[32] On 31 July 2013, 55 students at a government middle school fell ill at Kalyuga village in Jamui district after their midday meal provided by an NGO. On the same day, 95 students at Chamandi primary school in Arwal district were ill after their meal.[52]

Criticism edit

Despite the success of the programme, child hunger as a problem persists in India. According to current statistics, 42.5% of the children under 5 are underweight. Some simple health measures such as using iodised salt[needs update] and getting vaccinations are uncommon in India.[53] "India is home to the world's largest food insecure population, with more than 500 million people who are hungry", India State Hunger Index (ISHI) said. Many children don't get enough to eat, which has far-reaching implications for the performance of the country as a whole. "Its rates of child malnutrition is higher than most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa," it noted.[54] The 2009 Global Hunger Index ranked India at 65 out of 84 countries. More than 200 million went hungry in India that year, more than any other country in the world. The report states that "improving child nutrition is of utmost urgency in most Indian states".[55]

As the MDM Scheme operates only in government/government-aided schools, it does not serve the large share of children in India who attend private schools. From 2015 to 2018, the number of children receiving food through the MDM scheme declined in many states, a pattern that may at least partly reflect the rising popularity of private schools in the country.[30]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Chettiparambil-Rajan, Angelique (July 2007). (PDF). World Food Programme. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Poshan Abhiyaan - Jan Andolan". poshanabhiyaan.gov.in. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b (PDF). mdm.nic.in (Mid Day Meal Scheme, Ministry of Education, Government of India). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  4. ^ a b "About the Mid Day Meal Scheme". mdm.nic.in (Mid Day Meal Scheme, Ministry of Education, Government of India). Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  5. ^ "Mid Day Meal Puducherry". mdm.py.gov.in. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  6. ^ a b "School Mid-day Meals - Right to Food Campaign". www.righttofoodcampaign.in. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Mid-Day Meal scheme to be now called PM POSHAN, to cover students of pre-primary classes also - Times of India". The Times of India. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Centre extends mid-day meal scheme to 24 lakh pre-primary students". The Hindu. 29 September 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Convention on the Rights of the Child". ohchr.org (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. UN Human Rights.). United Nations. 20 November 1989. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  10. ^ "India and United Nations – Human Rights". www.un.int (United Nations Permanent Missions). from the original on 2 May 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  11. ^ Swaminathan, Padmini; Jeyaranjan, J.; Sreenivasan, R.; Jayashree, K. (2004). "Tamil Nadu's Midday Meal Scheme: Where Assumed Benefits Score over Hard Data". Economic and Political Weekly. 39 (44): 4811–4821. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 4415741.
  12. ^ a b "Mid-Day Meal Programme". National Institute of Health & Family Welfare. 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  13. ^ Subramanian, K. (22 December 2022). "When MGR proved Manmohan wrong on a visionary scheme". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Tamil Nadu: Midday Manna". India Today Archive. 15 November 1982. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  15. ^ (PDF). Government of Gujarat. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  16. ^ (PDF). Government of India Ministry of Human Resource Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  17. ^ "Mid Day Meal" (PDF). Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  18. ^ Chandra, Meghana (24 June 2010). "Lessons Outside the Classroom". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  19. ^ Garg, Manisha; Mandal, Kalyan Sankar (27 July 2013). "Mid-Day Meal for the Poor, Privatised Education for the Non-Poor". Economic and Political Weekly. 48 (30): 155. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  20. ^ (PDF). Mdm.nic.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  21. ^ Dr. N.C. Saxena. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  22. ^ . Righttofoodindia.org. 20 October 2009. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  23. ^ a b c (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  24. ^ "Legal Action: Supreme Court Orders". Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  25. ^ "SUPREME COURT ORDER OF NOVEMBER 28, 2001". Rightoffoodindia.org. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  26. ^ a b c d e f "ORDER OF APR 20, 2004". Rightoffoodindia.org.
  27. ^ "Guidelines of the School Health Programme" (PDF). Mohfw.nic.in. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  28. ^ a b Press Information bureau, HRD, Govt of India (22 December 2015). "Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Nutrition and Corporate Capital". Press Information. Ministry of Human Resource Development (30). Retrieved 8 November 2016.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ a b Joyita Ghose (23 July 2013). "the PRS Blog " The Mid Day Meal Scheme". Prsindia.org. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  30. ^ a b c Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF). 2021. State Survey of School Meal Programs: India 2020. GCNF: Seattle.
  31. ^ Tiwari, Santosh (1 January 2013). "123% jump in money allocated for UPA flagship schemes". Business Standard India. Business Standard. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  32. ^ a b "Chargesheet filed in Bihar midday meal tragedy". The Hindu. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  33. ^ "MHRD increases Cooking cost under mid-day meal scheme". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  34. ^ Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF). 2021. Global Survey of School Meal Programs Country Report, India. Accessed January 26, 2023 at: https://gcnf.org/country-reports/ .
  35. ^ Priya Shankar; Natasha S. K. Aditi Bam (ed.). (PDF). Centre for Equity Studies, Delhi. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2013. A report for the Office of the Commissioners to the Supreme Court in CWP 196/2001{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  36. ^ . The Hindu. 17 July 2004. Archived from the original on 18 July 2004. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  37. ^ "'Gravy' mistake: 8-yr-old girl falls in hot sambar, dies". DNA India. 17 December 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  38. ^ "Towards more advantages from Mid-Day Meals" (PDF). Cordindia.com. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  39. ^ "Capital's MCD schools mid-day meal scheme fails nutrition test!". Zeenews.india.com. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  40. ^ a b c . Nutrition Support to Education: Report of the Committee on Mid-Day Meals. Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of India. May 1995. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  41. ^ P, Kumaran (13 November 2021). "Tithi Bhojan, but in another name". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  42. ^ "Mid Day Meal Scheme, First Review Mission, Uttar Pradesh" (PDF). mdm.nic.in (Mid Day Meal Scheme, Ministry of Education, Government of India). February 2010. (PDF) from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  43. ^ "Monitoring of Mid-Day-Meal Scheme" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  44. ^ Aparajita Goyal; Jean Dreze (1 November 2003). . Economic and Political Weekly. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  45. ^ Talukdar, Ratna Bharali (7 May 2007). "Attendance up, but penetration poor". Indiatogether.org.
  46. ^ "Caste and Gender Based Discrimination Under MDMS" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2013. The teams did not come across any discrimination except in one school in district Boudh in Odisha.
  47. ^ Lee, Joel; Thorat, Sukhdeo (24 September 2005). "Caste Discrimination and Food Security Programmes". Economic and Political Weekly. 40 (39): 4198–4201. JSTOR 4417187.
  48. ^ Nichols, Carly E (27 August 2013). "Look beyond the food". Indiatogether.org.
  49. ^ "Lid off massive scam in Mid-Day Meal Scheme: 2,760 sacks of rice seized". The Tribune, Delhi. 20 January 2006. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
  50. ^ "Scam shadow on meal scheme". The Telegraph, Kolkata. 14 November 2006. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
  51. ^ "Teacher blows whistle on scam: School Authorities Pocket Money In The Name Of Mid-Day Meal Scheme". The Times of India, Bangalore. 2 December 2006.
  52. ^ "Students fall ill after midday meal in Bihar". The Hindu. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  53. ^ Sengupta, Somini. (12 March 2009) Malnutrition of children in India continues. Nytimes.com. Retrieved on 18 February 2012.
  54. ^ "Madhya Pradesh tops India State Hunger list of 17". LiveMint. 14 October 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  55. ^ Hunger in India alarming. BBC News (14 October 2008). Retrieved on 18 February 2012.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Midday Meal Scheme at Wikimedia Commons

midday, meal, scheme, meal, scheme, school, meal, programme, india, designed, better, nutritional, standing, school, children, nationwide, scheme, been, renamed, poshan, scheme, programme, supplies, free, lunches, working, days, children, government, primary, . The Mid Day Meal Scheme is a school meal programme in India designed to better the nutritional standing of school age children nationwide 1 The scheme has been renamed as PM POSHAN Scheme 2 The programme supplies free lunches on working days for children in government primary and upper primary schools government aided Anganwadis Madarsa and Maqtabs 3 Serving 120 million children in over 1 27 million schools and Education Guarantee Scheme centres the Midday Meal Scheme is the largest of its kind in the world 4 Midday Meal SchemeStudents receiving mid day meal at a school in Wokha district of Nagaland stateType of projectGovernment of IndiaCountryIndiaLaunched1995StatusActiveWebsitehttps pmposhan education gov in The Midday Meal Scheme has been implemented in the Union Territory of Puducherry under the French Administration since 1930 5 In post independent India the Midday Meal Scheme was first launched in Tamil Nadu pioneered by the former Chief minister K Kamaraj in the early 1960s By 2002 the scheme was implemented in all of the states under the orders of the Supreme Court of India 6 Ajay Kumar Director of Poshan Abhiyaan Shared The name of the scheme has been changed to PM POSHAN Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Scheme in September 2021 by MoE Ministry of Education which is the ministry responsible for the scheme 7 The Central Government also announced that an additional 24 lakh students receiving pre primary education at government amp government aided schools would also be included under the scheme by 2022 8 Under article 24 paragraph 2c 9 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to which India is a party 10 India has committed to yielding adequate nutritious food for children The programme has undergone many changes since its launch in 1995 The Midday Meal Scheme is covered by the National Food Security Act 2013 The legal backing to the Indian school meal programme is akin to the legal backing provided in the US through the National School Lunch Act Contents 1 History 1 1 Roots of the programme 1 2 Initiatives by the central government 1 3 Supreme court order 1 3 1 Interim orders 1 4 Entitlements 1 5 Finances 1 6 Implementation models 1 6 1 Decentralised model 1 6 2 Centralised model 1 6 3 International assistance 1 7 Tithi Bhojan 2 Monitoring and evaluation 2 1 Monitoring mechanism 3 Evaluation of the scheme 4 Criticism 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory editThe Midday Meal Scheme refers to the government of India programme introduced in all government elementary schools to provide children with cooked lunches Tamil Nadu was the first state in India to introduce this scheme The first school which had the scheme was the Sourashtra Boys Higher Secondary School Madurai which implemented it in 1955 On 28 November 2001 the Supreme Court asked all state governments to begin this programme in their schools within 6 months 6 The programme has shown many positive effects Many parents who couldn t send their children to schools due to poverty were eager to get their children free nutritious food and this incentivized them to send their children to school The Midday Meal Scheme increased the number of school going children Roots of the programme edit The roots of the programme can be traced back to the pre independence era when a midday meal programme was introduced in 1925 in Tamil Nadu 11 Initiatives by state governments began in the 1962 63 school year 12 The Indian state Tamil Nadu was a pioneer in introducing midday meal programmes in India to increase the number of children enrolling in school K Kamaraj the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at the time introduced it first in Chennai and later extended it to all districts of Tamil Nadu 12 During 1982 1 July onwards the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M G Ramachandran upgraded the existing midday meal scheme in the state to Nutritious noon meal scheme 13 keeping in mind that around 68 lakh children were malnourished 14 Gujarat was the second state to introduce an MDM scheme in 1984 but it was later discontinued 15 A midday meal scheme was introduced in Kerala in 1984 and was gradually expanded to include more schools and grades 16 By 1990 91 twelve states were funding the scheme to all or most of the students in their area Goa Gujarat Kerala Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tamil Nadu Tripura and Uttar Pradesh Karnataka Odisha and West Bengal received international aid to help with the implementation of the programme while in AP and Rajasthan the programme was completely funded by foreign aid 17 In Karnataka the Children s LoveCastles Trust started providing midday meals in 1997 A total of eight schools were adopted and a food bank programme and an Angganwasi milk Programme were started The food bank programme was replaced by the State Government midday meal scheme 18 Initiatives by the central government edit nbsp President Pranab Mukherjee launching mid day meal scheme at a Central Government run schoolThe government of India initiated the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education NP NSPE on 15 August 1995 4 The objective of the scheme is to help improve the effectiveness of primary education by improving the nutritional status of primary school children Initially the scheme was implemented in 2 408 blocks of the country to provide food to students in classes one through five of government government aided and local body run schools By 1997 98 the scheme had been implemented across the country Under this programme a cooked midday meal with 300 calories and 12 grams of protein is provided to all children enrolled in classes one to five In October 2007 the scheme included students in upper primary classes of six to eight in 3 479 educationally backward blocks 19 and the name was changed from National Programme for Nutrition Support to Primary Education to National Programme of Mid Day Meals in Schools 20 Though cooked food was to be provided most states apart from those already providing cooked food chose to provide dry rations to students Dry rations refers to the provision of uncooked 3 kg of wheat or rice to children with 80 attendance Supreme court order edit In April 2001 the People s Union for Civil Liberties PUCL initiated the Public Interest Litigation Civil No 196 2001 People s Union for Civil Liberties v Union of India amp Others 21 popularly known as the right to food case The PUCL argued that article 21 right to life of the Indian constitution when read together with articles 39 a and 47 makes the right to food a derived fundamental right which is enforceable by virtue of the constitutional remedy provided under article 32 of the constitution The PUCL argued that excess food stocks with the Food Corporation of India should be fed to hungry citizens This included providing midday meals in primary schools The scheme came into force with the supreme court order dated 28 November 2001 22 which requires all government and government assisted primary schools to provide cooked midday meals 23 Interim orders edit The Supreme Court occasionally issues interim orders regarding midday meals 24 Some examples are 23 Order regarding Exact text Order datedBasic entitlement Every child in every place and Government assisted Primary Schools with a prepared midday meal with a minimum content of 300 calories and 8 12 grams of protein each day of school for a minimum of 200 days 28 November 2001 25 Charges on conversion cost The conversion costs for a cooked meal under no circumstances shall be recovered from the children or their parents 20 April 2004 26 Central assistance The Central Government shall also allocate funds to meet with the conversion costs of food grains into cooked midday meals 20 April 2004 26 Kitchen sheds The Central Government shall make provisions for construction of kitchen sheds 20 April 2004 26 Priority to Dalit cooks In appointment of cooks and helpers preference shall be given to Dalits Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes 20 April 2004 26 Quality safeguards Attempts shall be made for better infrastructure improved facilities safe drinking water etc closer monitoring regular inspection etc and other quality safeguards as also the improvement of the contents of the meal so as to provide nutritious meal to the children of the primary schools 20 April 2004 26 Drought areas In drought affected areas midday meals shall be supplied even during summer vacations 20 April 2004 26 Entitlements edit The nutritional guidelines for the minimum amount of food and calorie content per child per day are 3 Entitlement norm per child per day under MDM Item Primary class one to five Upper primary class six to eight Calories 450 700Protein in grams 12 20Rice wheat in grams 100 150Dal in grams 20 30Vegetables in grams 50 75Oil and fat in grams 5 7 5In the case of micronutrients vitamin A iron and folate tablets and de worming medicines the student is entitled to receive the amount provided for in the school health programme of the National Rural Health Mission 27 Finances edit The central and state governments share the cost of the Midday Meal Scheme with the centre providing 60 percent and the states 40 percent 28 The central government provides grains and financing for other food Costs for facilities transportation and labour is shared by the federal and state governments 29 The participating states territories contribute different amounts of money depending on whether they are Himalayan states Northeastern Region NER states union territories without legislature or the residual Non NER states and union territories with legislature 23 30 The share contributed by states is often larger than what is stipulated While the eleventh five year plan allocated 384 9 billion equivalent to 450 billion or US 5 7 billion in 2023 for the scheme the twelfth five year plan has allocated 901 55 billion US 11 billion a 134 percent rise 31 The public expenditure for the Mid Day Meal Programme has gone up from 73 24 billion US 920 million in 2007 08 to 132 15 billion US 1 7 billion in 2013 14 32 In 2020 21 the Midday Meal Scheme budget comprised 11 of the total budget for the Ministry of Education 30 The per day cooking cost per child at the primary level has been fixed to 4 13 5 2 US while at the upper primary level is 6 18 7 7 US 33 Implementation models edit Decentralised model edit This is the most widespread practice In the decentralised model meals are cooked on site by local cooks and helpers or self help groups This system has the advantage of being able to serve local cuisine providing jobs in the area and minimising waste It also allows for better monitoring e g by parents and teachers In total the MDM Scheme employs over 2 5 million cooks food preparers referred to as cooks cum helpers usually providing a small honorarium for their work equal to approximately US 14 per month 34 In the absence of adequate infrastructure such as kitchen sheds utensils etc it can lead to accidents and maintaining hygiene can be difficult 35 In 2004 87 children died when the thatched roof of a classroom was ignited by sparks from a cooking fire 36 In 2011 a child died after succumbing to burn injuries she sustained after accidentally falling into a cooking vessel 37 Centralised model edit In the centralised model an external organisation cooks and delivers the meal to schools mostly through public private partnerships Centralised kitchens are seen more in urban areas where density of schools is high so that transporting food is a financially viable option Advantages of centralised kitchens include ensuring better hygienic as large scale cooking is done through largely automated processes Various NGOs such as the Nalabothu Foundation Akshaya Patra Foundation Ekta Shakti Foundation Naandi Foundation and Jay Gee Humanitarian Society provide midday meals 28 A study of centralised kitchens in Delhi in 2007 found that even with centralised kitchens the quality of food needed to be improved 38 The study also found that when the food arrives and is of inadequate quality even teachers feel helpless and do not know whom to complain to The Ministry of Human Resource Development reported that 95 of tested meal samples prepared by NGOs in Delhi did not meet nutritional standards in 2010 12 In response the ministry withheld 50 of the payment for the deficient meals 39 International assistance edit International voluntary and charity organisations have assisted Church World Service has provided milk powder to Delhi and Madras Municipal Corporation CARE has provided corn soya meal Bulgar wheat and vegetable oils and UNICEF has provided high proteins foods and educational support 40 In 1982 Food for Learning was launched with assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization FAO Initially the programme was aimed at scheduled caste and scheduled tribe girls 40 In 1983 the federal Department of Education prepared a scheme under the auspices of the World Food Programme to supply meals to 13 6 million scheduled caste girls and 10 09 million scheduled tribe girls in classes one to five in 15 states and three union territories The value of the food itself was 163 27 million per year 40 Labour facilities and transportation costs were to be paid by the state governments The reaction among the states and union territories was mixed Many states were interested but some were concerned about their ability to afford it if the FAO support were to be withdrawn 1 Tithi Bhojan edit Tithi Bhojan is a concept designed to ensure greater public participation under the Midday Meal Programme that started out in the state of Gujarat In order to generate greater community participation local members were encouraged to celebrate social events like birth of a child and homewarming by donating to the midday meals served in the local schools It is voluntarily served by the community family among school children in several forms such as sweets and savoury snacks along with regular MDM full meals supplementary nutritive items like sprouted beans and contributions in kind such as cookware utensils dinner sets or glasses for drinking water The concept has been adopted by 10 other states some with local nomenclatures like Sampriti Bhojan in Assam Dham in Himachal Pradesh Sneh Bhojan in Maharashtra Shalegagi Naavu Neevu in Karnataka Anna Dhanam in Puducherry Priti Bhoj in Punjab and Utsav Bhoj in Rajasthan In the North Indian states of Uttarakhand Haryana and the Union territory of Chandigarh the scheme retains its original name of Tithi Bhojan 41 Monitoring and evaluation editMonitoring mechanism edit Committees to monitor the MDM Programme 29 Level Committee Frequency of meetingNational The national level steering monitoring committee Programme Approval Board PAB QuarterlyState The state level steering monitoring committee QuarterlyDistrict The district level committee MonthlyMunicipal The municipal committee MonthlyBlock The Mandal level committee FortnightlyVillage Panchayat level sub committee Day to day functioning of the implementation of the schemeSchool School management and development committee or Parent Teacher Association Monthly and as when it is requiredThe government of India Review Missions on Mid Day Meal Scheme comprising members from the central government state governments UNICEF and the office of the supreme court commissioner was created in 2010 to review the programme and offer suggestions for improvement 42 The scheme is independently monitored twice a year 43 Evaluation of the scheme editThe MDM Scheme has many potential benefits attracting children from disadvantaged sections especially girls Dalits and Adivasis to school improving regularity nutritional benefits socialisation benefits and benefits to women are some that have been highlighted 44 nbsp School students taking Mid day meal in a school of Haryana province of IndiaStudies by economists show that some of these benefits have indeed been realised The positive effect on enrollment of disadvantaged children Dreze and Kingdon on attendance by Chakraborty Jayaraman Pande 45 on learning effort by Booruah Afridi and Somanathan on improving nutritional inputs Afridi and on improving nutritional outcomes by Singh Dercon and Parker Caste based discrimination continues to occur in the serving of food though the government seems unwilling to acknowledge this 46 failed verification Sukhdeo Thorat and Joel Lee found in their 2005 study that caste discrimination was occurring in conjunction with the Mid Day Meals programme 47 Media reports also document the positive effect of the programme for women especially working women 48 and its popularity among parents children and teachers alike Media reports have also highlighted several implementation issues including irregularity corruption hygiene caste discrimination etc A few such incidents are listed below In December 2005 Delhi police seized eight trucks laden with 2 760 sacks of rice meant for primary school children The rice was being transported from Food Corporation of India godowns Bulandshahr district to North Delhi The police stopped the trucks and investigators later discovered that the rice was being stolen by an NGO 49 In November 2006 the residents of Pembong village 30 km from Darjeeling accused a group of teachers of embezzling midday meals In a written complaint the residents claimed that students at the primary school had not received their midday meal for the past year and a half 50 In December 2006 The Times of India reported that school staff were inflating attendance in order to obtain food grains 51 Twenty three children died in Dharma Sati village in Saran District on 16 July 2013 after eating pesticide contaminated mid day meals 32 On 31 July 2013 55 students at a government middle school fell ill at Kalyuga village in Jamui district after their midday meal provided by an NGO On the same day 95 students at Chamandi primary school in Arwal district were ill after their meal 52 Criticism editDespite the success of the programme child hunger as a problem persists in India According to current statistics 42 5 of the children under 5 are underweight Some simple health measures such as using iodised salt needs update and getting vaccinations are uncommon in India 53 India is home to the world s largest food insecure population with more than 500 million people who are hungry India State Hunger Index ISHI said Many children don t get enough to eat which has far reaching implications for the performance of the country as a whole Its rates of child malnutrition is higher than most countries in Sub Saharan Africa it noted 54 The 2009 Global Hunger Index ranked India at 65 out of 84 countries More than 200 million went hungry in India that year more than any other country in the world The report states that improving child nutrition is of utmost urgency in most Indian states 55 As the MDM Scheme operates only in government government aided schools it does not serve the large share of children in India who attend private schools From 2015 to 2018 the number of children receiving food through the MDM scheme declined in many states a pattern that may at least partly reflect the rising popularity of private schools in the country 30 See also editFree school meals National Food Security Act 2013References edit a b Chettiparambil Rajan Angelique July 2007 India A Desk Review of the Mid Day Meals Programme PDF World Food Programme Archived from the original PDF on 20 October 2013 Retrieved 28 July 2013 Poshan Abhiyaan Jan Andolan poshanabhiyaan gov in Retrieved 24 March 2023 a b Frequently Asked Questions on Mid Day Meal Scheme PDF mdm nic in Mid Day Meal Scheme Ministry of Education Government of India Archived from the original PDF on 21 October 2013 Retrieved 24 June 2014 a b About the Mid Day Meal Scheme mdm nic in Mid Day Meal Scheme Ministry of Education Government of India Retrieved 28 July 2013 Mid Day Meal Puducherry mdm py gov in Retrieved 13 October 2021 a b School Mid day Meals Right to Food Campaign www righttofoodcampaign in Retrieved 13 October 2021 Mid Day Meal scheme to be now called PM POSHAN to cover students of pre primary classes also Times of India The Times of India 29 September 2021 Retrieved 13 October 2021 Centre extends mid day meal scheme to 24 lakh pre primary students The Hindu 29 September 2021 ISSN 0971 751X Retrieved 13 October 2021 Convention on the Rights of the Child ohchr org Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights UN Human Rights United Nations 20 November 1989 Retrieved 28 July 2013 India and United Nations Human Rights www un int United Nations Permanent Missions Archived from the original on 2 May 2010 Retrieved 28 July 2013 Swaminathan Padmini Jeyaranjan J Sreenivasan R Jayashree K 2004 Tamil Nadu s Midday Meal Scheme Where Assumed Benefits Score over Hard Data Economic and Political Weekly 39 44 4811 4821 ISSN 0012 9976 JSTOR 4415741 a b Mid Day Meal Programme National Institute of Health amp Family Welfare 2009 Retrieved 28 July 2013 Subramanian K 22 December 2022 When MGR proved Manmohan wrong on a visionary scheme The Hindu ISSN 0971 751X Retrieved 26 December 2022 Tamil Nadu Midday Manna India Today Archive 15 November 1982 Retrieved 29 January 2016 Annual Work Plan amp Budget 2010 11 Mid Day Meal Scheme Gujarat State PDF Government of Gujarat Archived from the original PDF on 4 June 2015 Retrieved 24 June 2014 Appraisal Note State Kerala PDF Government of India Ministry of Human Resource Development Archived from the original PDF on 15 September 2014 Retrieved 24 June 2014 Mid Day Meal PDF Press Information Bureau Government of India Retrieved 24 June 2014 Chandra Meghana 24 June 2010 Lessons Outside the Classroom The Hindu Retrieved 23 March 2016 Garg Manisha Mandal Kalyan Sankar 27 July 2013 Mid Day Meal for the Poor Privatised Education for the Non Poor Economic and Political Weekly 48 30 155 Retrieved 28 July 2013 Agenda note of 5th meeting of National Steering and Moitoring Committee meeting PDF Mdm nic in Archived from the original PDF on 16 March 2016 Retrieved 26 July 2013 Dr N C Saxena Sixth Report Of the Commissioners PDF Archived from the original PDF on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 28 July 2013 Right to Food Campaign Mid Day Meals Righttofoodindia org 20 October 2009 Archived from the original on 1 June 2013 Retrieved 28 July 2013 a b c Mid Day Meals A Primer PDF Archived from the original PDF on 16 July 2015 Retrieved 28 July 2013 Legal Action Supreme Court Orders Retrieved 28 July 2013 SUPREME COURT ORDER OF NOVEMBER 28 2001 Rightoffoodindia org Retrieved 28 July 2013 a b c d e f ORDER OF APR 20 2004 Rightoffoodindia org Guidelines of the School Health Programme PDF Mohfw nic in Retrieved 13 October 2014 a b Press Information bureau HRD Govt of India 22 December 2015 Mid Day Meal Scheme Nutrition and Corporate Capital Press Information Ministry of Human Resource Development 30 Retrieved 8 November 2016 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b Joyita Ghose 23 July 2013 the PRS Blog The Mid Day Meal Scheme Prsindia org Retrieved 28 July 2013 a b c Global Child Nutrition Foundation GCNF 2021 State Survey of School Meal Programs India 2020 GCNF Seattle Tiwari Santosh 1 January 2013 123 jump in money allocated for UPA flagship schemes Business Standard India Business Standard Retrieved 28 July 2013 a b Chargesheet filed in Bihar midday meal tragedy The Hindu 22 October 2013 Retrieved 26 June 2014 MHRD increases Cooking cost under mid day meal scheme IANS news biharprabha com Retrieved 15 July 2014 Global Child Nutrition Foundation GCNF 2021 Global Survey of School Meal Programs Country Report India Accessed January 26 2023 at https gcnf org country reports Priya Shankar Natasha S K Aditi Bam ed Interrogating best practices for the Implementation of School Nutrition Programmes in Urban India PDF Centre for Equity Studies Delhi Archived from the original PDF on 29 November 2014 Retrieved 28 July 2013 A report for the Office of the Commissioners to the Supreme Court in CWP 196 2001 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint postscript link 87 children die in school fire The Hindu 17 July 2004 Archived from the original on 18 July 2004 Retrieved 28 July 2013 Gravy mistake 8 yr old girl falls in hot sambar dies DNA India 17 December 2011 Retrieved 28 July 2013 Towards more advantages from Mid Day Meals PDF Cordindia com Retrieved 17 July 2019 Capital s MCD schools mid day meal scheme fails nutrition test Zeenews india com 23 May 2013 Retrieved 28 July 2013 a b c Historical Background Nutrition Support to Education Report of the Committee on Mid Day Meals Department of School Education and Literacy Government of India May 1995 Archived from the original on 17 May 2014 Retrieved 28 July 2013 P Kumaran 13 November 2021 Tithi Bhojan but in another name Bangalore Mirror Retrieved 18 September 2021 Mid Day Meal Scheme First Review Mission Uttar Pradesh PDF mdm nic in Mid Day Meal Scheme Ministry of Education Government of India February 2010 Archived PDF from the original on 16 March 2016 Retrieved 2 August 2013 Monitoring of Mid Day Meal Scheme Press release Press Information Bureau Government of India 4 March 2011 Retrieved 2 August 2013 Aparajita Goyal Jean Dreze 1 November 2003 Future of Mid Day Meals Economic and Political Weekly Archived from the original on 15 December 2014 Retrieved 20 November 2014 Talukdar Ratna Bharali 7 May 2007 Attendance up but penetration poor Indiatogether org Caste and Gender Based Discrimination Under MDMS Press release Press Information Bureau Government of India 14 December 2012 Retrieved 2 August 2013 The teams did not come across any discrimination except in one school in district Boudh in Odisha Lee Joel Thorat Sukhdeo 24 September 2005 Caste Discrimination and Food Security Programmes Economic and Political Weekly 40 39 4198 4201 JSTOR 4417187 Nichols Carly E 27 August 2013 Look beyond the food Indiatogether org Lid off massive scam in Mid Day Meal Scheme 2 760 sacks of rice seized The Tribune Delhi 20 January 2006 Retrieved 2 December 2006 Scam shadow on meal scheme The Telegraph Kolkata 14 November 2006 Archived from the original on 25 June 2014 Retrieved 2 December 2006 Teacher blows whistle on scam School Authorities Pocket Money In The Name Of Mid Day Meal Scheme The Times of India Bangalore 2 December 2006 Students fall ill after midday meal in Bihar The Hindu 31 July 2013 Retrieved 31 July 2013 Sengupta Somini 12 March 2009 Malnutrition of children in India continues Nytimes com Retrieved on 18 February 2012 Madhya Pradesh tops India State Hunger list of 17 LiveMint 14 October 2008 Retrieved 25 June 2014 Hunger in India alarming BBC News 14 October 2008 Retrieved on 18 February 2012 External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Midday Meal Scheme nbsp Media related to Midday Meal Scheme at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Midday Meal Scheme amp oldid 1201906789, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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