The Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) in India is considered to be the world’s largest school meal programme, serving hot, cooked meals to underprivileged children. The program’s goals are to eliminate malnutrition, supplement nutritional foods in school meals, encourage out-of-school children to return to school, reduce absenteeism and dropout rates, and bridge inequality among children regardless of caste, class, or gender.After the enactment of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), 2009, the programme is being monitored by the school management committees. The article intends to highlight the effectiveness of the MDMS in improving schools and local communities in India. It also focuses on the challenges being confronted with the implementation of the programme and suggests some relevant policy measures for reform.

To implement this scheme nationwide, the Government of India launched a centrally sponsored scheme on August 15, 1995, called the National Program of Nutritional Support to Elementary Education (NP-NSPE). Later, it was renamed the “National Program for Mid-Day Meal in Schools.” Now, it is widely known as the “Mid-Day Meal” (MDM) scheme.

The article writer himself went to the school and got detailed information about the mid-day meal scheme. Each of our articles are in this way with authenticity. If we feel the need, we physically observe the aspects related to that topic.

At the global level, the school lunch programme was introduced earlier than in India. It was first started by Benjamin Thompson in Munich, Germany, in the year 1790. He had initiated a combined programme of teaching and feeding hungry pupils in his “Poor People’s Institute” and provided clothes and food to unemployed adults in exchange for work. Education and food for part-time work were provided to the children. In 1865, Victor Hugo of Guernsey, France, initiated hot meals for children in habitation schools. By the late 1890s, about 293 cities in Europe had initiated the programme in their respective schools (Pellissery et al., 2016). The British Parliament had passed an Education Act related to the provision of school lunches in 1905, and it was considered to be the responsibility of the state. Gradually, the school lunch programme was initiated in various countries of the world, such as the United Kingdom in 1945, Switzerland and the USA in 1946, Japan in 1947, Australia in 1950, China in 1964, Indonesia in 1967, Thailand in 1970, Korea in 1973, and Singapore in 1975 (Si & Sharma, 2008). The global implementation of school meal programmes demonstrates a growing social consciousness for the healthy development of children as a welfare measure.

The mid-day meal scheme (menu) was seen by the article writer himself after visiting the school.

The Mid-Day Meal Program’s History in India

Indian schools have a long history of providing midday meals. The British government first introduced the concept of providing meals to students in India in primary schools in Tamil Nadu in 1925.Later, the French administration also introduced it in the Union Territory of Puducherry in the early 1930s. After independence, during the years 1962–1963, with the aim of attracting more children to the schools, this scheme was once again started in the state by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Children in government or government-aided schools received free lunch under this program.By the mid-1980s, the scheme had been implemented throughout Tamil Nadu and in Kerala, Gujarat, and the Union Territory of Pondicherry. Gradually, many states in India implemented this scheme. In 1990-1991, twelve more state governments decided to implement this scheme in their respective states, and it was finally implemented in August 1995 to improve the nutritional status of schoolchildren.The mid-day meal programme was started for
To implement this scheme nationwide, the Government of India launched a centrally sponsored scheme on August 15, 1995, called the National Program of Nutritional Support to Elementary Education (NP-NSPE). Later, it was renamed the “National Program for Midday Meal in Schools.” Now, it is widely known as the “Mid-Day Meal” (MDM) scheme. In 2001, the Supreme Court of India directed all state governments to provide midday meals in all government and government-aided primary schools.

Article writers also waiting for mid-day meal.

mid-day meal programme

The mid-day meal scheme was started in India on August 15, 1995, under the name “National Program of Nutritional Support to Elementary Education” (NP-NSPE). In October 2007, NP-NSPE was renamed as the “National Program for Mid-Day Meal in Schools,” popularly known as the “Mid-Day Meal Scheme.” Recently, the Vice President of India has proposed to include milk in the mid-day meal for children.
In order to protect the nutritional status of children, the central government has provided financial assistance through Direct Benefit Transfer to approximately 11.8 crore children to cover the cost of cooking food for classes I to VIII in 11.20 lakh government and government-aided schools across the country. announced to provide The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education has recommended that government schools provide free breakfast as a part of the midday meal scheme in the coming academic years. According to the 2011 census, about 208 million children in India fall in the age group of 6 to 14 years, which are primary and upper primary school children. This is 17.2% of the total population of the country. Since the Midday Meal Scheme covers this section of the population, it is very important to ensure proper implementation of the scheme. Under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, children in the age group of those studying in classes 1–8 (6–14 years) are provided with cooked meals with specified nutritional values, provided by the government or studying in aided schools. To improve the implementation of this scheme, many state governments have introduced various practices. For example, states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh started a practise called “kitchen gardening,” where vegetables and fruits needed for cooking are cultivated in the school’s grounds.
Under this scheme, there is a provision to provide a minimum of 300 calories of energy and 8–12 grammes of protein per day for the lower primary level and a minimum of 700 calories of energy and 20 grammes of protein for the upper primary level for a minimum of 200 days. The midday meal programme is a multipurpose programme that is linked to the nutrition and development of the future generation of the nation.

PM Poshan’s Mid-Day meal scheme has been renamed.

As the centre promotes child nutrition in the country, the name of the mid-day meal scheme has been changed to “PM Poshan Shakti.” At present, this scheme provides hot, prepared meals to children from classes 1 to 8 in all 11.20 lakh government and government-aided schools, serving approximately 80 crore children. According to ICDS, around 24 lakh additional youth in pre-primary schools will be covered under the PM Poshan Yojana. In terms of finance and organization, the PM Poshan Yojana is comparable to the former mid-day meal programme with less intervention. The “PM Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana” will be implemented for a period of five years (2021–22 to 2025–26).
The funding structure of the scheme remains the same, with the Center and the States sharing the resources at a rate of 60:40 for general-category states and 90:10 for special-category states, as before.

PM Poshan Scheme
POSHAN Abhiyaan, a flagship initiative of the Government of India, aims to improve the nutritional outcomes of children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. The NITI Aayog played a role in shaping the Poshan Abhiyaan.Most of the recommendations in the strategy paper were incorporated into the design of the Poshan Abhiyaan, and now that the campaign has been launched, NITI Aayog has been tasked with closely monitoring and periodically reviewing it.
The mission has a four-point strategy or set of pillars for the implementation of Poshan Abhiyaan:

1: Inter-sectoral convergence for better service delivery
Use of technology (ICT) for monitoring and tracking the real-time growth of women and children
3: Intensive health and nutrition services for the first 1000 days
4: Mass movement

Students taking mid-day meal with great enthusiasm.

Features of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS)

1. The scheme helps increase socialization among schoolchildren by promoting the habit of eating together. Eating lunch together increases unity and harmony among different religious groups. It inspires the students to become good citizens by reducing the discrimination between different castes and religions.
2. This scheme acts as an incentive for the parents of poor children to send their children to school. Along with this, it also plays an important role in increasing the literacy rate in the country.
3. This scheme can also prove important in reducing poverty in the country because the more people are educated and healthy, the more they will contribute to the development of the economy.
4. It is noteworthy that the mid-day meal program has become the largest program of its kind in the world by providing food to more than 120 million children, due to which a huge workforce is required for its successful implementation.
5. According to the data presented by the government, this program has provided employment to about 26 lakh people across the country.
6. As far as possible, the government should encourage community support and public-private partnerships to run the programme within the prescribed guidelines of the mid-day meal programme.
7. MDMS is considered to be the largest school feeding programme in the world.
8. A mid-day meal of 450 calories and 12 grammes of protein per child at the primary level and 700 calories and 20 grammes of protein at the upper primary level are provided under this scheme.
9. The Midday Meal Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme. The cost involved in implementing the scheme is borne by the central government and the respective state governments.
10. The central government provides free food grains to all the states.
11. The central government shares with the respective state governments the costs involved in cooking, transportation of food grains, the development of infrastructure, and payment to cooks and helpers.
12. The contributions made by the states differ depending on the need.
13. It is implemented and monitored by the Ministry of Education.

Committees involved in the monitoring mechanism of this scheme

Committee title	Leadership
Empowered committee	Minister of Education
National Steering Committee Monitoring Committee (NSMC) and Program Approval Board	Secretary of School Education and Literacy
State Steering and Monitoring Committee	Chief Secretary of State
District Level Committee	The senior-most MP of the Lok Sabha from that particular district
Village Education Committees, Parent-Teacher Associations, and School Management Committees	members of relevant committees

Beneficiaries of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS)

Children from Class I to VIII study in the following schools:
1. Government School
2. Government-funded schools
3: Special Training Center and
4. Madrasas (secondary religious schools) and those supported under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
It also covers children studying in schools run under the Alternative and Innovative Education Act and the National Child Labor Project across the country. Primary children in drought-affected areas are also provided food under this scheme during summer vacation. This is done to ensure proper nutritional support for the children.

Structure of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS)

The scheme is implemented by employing any one of the following three models:
Centralized model: In this model, food is prepared and distributed to schools by a few service providers.
Decentralized Model: In this model, food is prepared in the school with the help of local self-help groups.
International Aid: International charitable organizations support the schools in implementing the scheme.
Many NGOs support the implementation of this scheme under a public-private partnership with the state governments. Akshaya Patra Foundation, Nandi Sangathan, and Annmaria are some of the NGOs among them.

Objectives of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme

This scheme (the National Program of Mid-Day Meals in Schools) was launched with the following objectives:
1. To increase the enrollment, retention, and attendance of children in primary education.
2: To improve the nutritional level of school-going children.
3: reducing the gender gap in education and nutrition.
4. To promote equality among children by removing caste prejudices and inequalities.
5. Providing nutritional support to primary school children in drought-affected areas

Mid-Day Meal Rules, 2015

On September 30, 2015, the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 proposed the Mid-Day Meal Rules 2015.Under the MDM conditions, schools have the right to use other funds for mid-day meals in case the MDM funds are exhausted. They provide food allowance to visitors in situations where meals prepared by schools and other essential bodies are not available.to be approved for monthly testing of food on the basis of affiliation. According to the MDM Rules 2015, if the children of a school do not receive food for three consecutive school days or five days in a month, the concerned state government assigns responsibility to one or more agencies.
Following are some of the important rules listed under 2015:
1: Every child in the age group of 6 to 14 years who is enrolled in school and attends school should be provided with a free meal daily (except school holidays) as per prescribed nutritional standards.
2. Food should be provided only on the school’s premises.
3-Must be nutritionally tested and certified by a government food research laboratory or any legally recognised or accredited laboratory.
4 If, for any reason, a mid-day meal is not provided in the school on any school day, the state government should pay a food security allowance to each child before the 15th of the following month.
5: It is the responsibility of the State Steering and Monitoring Committee to ensure the implementation of the scheme and the maintenance of specified nutritional standards.
6-To meet the temporary non-availability of food grains, cooking costs, etc., the school headmaster has the right to utilise the fund available with the school, which will be reimbursed to the school account immediately after receiving the mid-day meal fund.

Measurement of the nutritional value of a Mid-Day meal

Supplies for children in primary classes		For children of upper primary classes
A) Nutritional norms (per child per day)
Calories	450		700
Protein	12g		20g
B) Food Norms (per child per day)
Cereal	100g		150g
Pulses	20g		30g
Vegetables	50g		75g
Oils and Fats	5g		7.5g
Salt and Spices	as required		as required

Implementation of the Mid-Day Meal Program

The central and state governments work together to implement the mid-day meal programmed.
1. The federal government gives instructions to the state governments to follow while implementing this system. However, some states have published their own rules that differ from the central guidelines.
2. A National Steering-Current-Monitoring Committee (NSMC) has been set up to monitor the programmed, analyze its impacts, and make policy recommendations to the federal and state governments.
3. Upon submission of the Committee’s Annual Action Plan, the Program Approval Board Releases Central Assistance in the form of a subsidy.
4. State-level steering and monitoring committees are also present to monitor the programmed.
5. The nodal department has been empowered to handle the responsibility. The nodal department organizes implementation cells, and an officer has been assigned to each district and block to ensure that the programmed is implemented effectively.
6. Panchayats and other urban local bodies are in charge of the system in the states where elementary education is entrusted to them.

Article Writers While having lunch with the students, we experience firsthand the hard work of what we write. That’s why each of our articles is presented with authenticity.

Challenges and Policy Concerns of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme

shortfall of funds: MDMS remains one of the government’s most important welfare programs. However, insufficient funds continue to be a challenge. With a limited budget, providing quality food to a large group of students has become a difficult task. The prices of daily consumables are increasing day by day, and it is difficult to manage quality ingredients on a low budget. In some schools, MDM staff are compelled to show higher attendance to project per-child consumption costs because of the shortage of funds. Moreover, in many schools, pre-school children attend midday meals, and in this case, neither teachers nor SMC members can refuse (Sinha, 2008). According to Ministry of Education sources, approximately 11.59 crore children are registered under the MDMS. The allocation of funds under the scheme for the financial years 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 was Rs 13,215 crore. Subsequently, from the year 2015–2016 onwards, the allocation has been drastically reduced to Rs 9,236.40 crore only. After this downward trend, the budget allocation has been increased, and for the financial years 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, 11,000 crore was assigned with an additional 500 crore for the following year. But this budget provision is much less compared to the years 2013–2014 (Ahuja, 2021). Insufficient funds lead to poor quality and inadequate quantities of food. In addition, the fund allocation for each school must be monitored at both the district and school levels to ensure that monetary resources are used effectively.

Irregular Payment: In rural areas, there are only a few job opportunities available for women compared to urban areas. Due to their large family size and economic backwardness, they are in financial need most of the time. But in many schools, they are not paid in time because of the delay in reimbursement (Sinha, 2008). Consequently, they work without much interest, which affects the quality and quantity of food. Timely payments to the MDM staff need to be given prime importance.

Food quality: According to a CAG report on the quality of food, out of a total of 2,012 samples of food grains taken during the study, 1,876 failed to meet the nutritional standards, which means that in the mid-day meal program, 80 percent of the food served to the children under the scheme does not meet the quality standards. Experts believe that the main reason for this is that under this scheme, more attention is paid to the quantity of food than to the quality of food. Recently, the Ministry of Human Resource Development released the data, showing that they had received a total of 35 complaints from 15 states and union territories regarding substandard food quality in the last 3 years. Experts believe that the government’s focus is only on the figures of how many schools it is able to cover and deliver food to; no one wants to pay attention to the quality of food.
Caste and Religion: Discrimination on the basis of caste also accounts for a large number of complaints regarding the mid-day meal program. In most incidents based on caste discrimination, it is seen that either upper-caste children refuse to eat food cooked by SC/ST women or Dalit and backward-class students are forced to sit separately from others. It may be noted that the main objective of this scheme is to develop a sense of commonality among students from different backgrounds, but incidents show that it has failed to achieve its objective.
Lack of monitoring system: Most of the children studying in government schools in the village are very poor, and the food provided under the mid-day meal programmed is their last option. In such a situation, this food can also prove to be dangerous for them because there is no arrangement to inspect the food. The Bihar incident of 2013 is a clear example of this, where 23 children died after consuming the midday meal at school.
Corruption: An audit report by the CAG in 2015 pointed to financial mismanagement under the mid-day meal program. The report revealed how a food supply company in Karnataka used much less food grains than the required norms within a year, which clearly indicates corruption.
Nearly two decades have passed since the mid-day meal was made a part of the routine in government schools across the country. This two-decade-long journey at the countrywide level has slowed down the reform process of the mid-day meal programmed, but incidents related to it have been continuously coming to the fore. Recently, a similar incident related to the mid-day meal was witnessed in which one liter of milk was mixed in a bucket full of water to be distributed among the children present in the school. Such incidents are obviously shameful, and they make it clear that the implementation of this programmed needs serious attention at the earliest.

Solution

Since its inception, the midday meal programme has been widely appreciated, as it is the largest scheme of its kind in the world. Many experts are of the view that for the scheme to be successful, it is necessary that efforts be made to make it an aspect of the curriculum. Actually, the biggest reason this scheme has not been completely successful is that, despite its transformative potential, it is seen as charity. To be successful, the government must recognise it as its responsibility to the children.The shortage of manpower is a major problem in the implementation of the scheme, which needs to be addressed at the earliest.

conclusion

India’s having the world’s largest school lunch programme through MDM has benefited the children of disadvantaged groups by increasing their enrolment, retention, and nutritional status. It has become an effective means for the improvement of schools and the community at large. The MDM programme not only helps to remove classroom hunger but also provides employment opportunities to women from disadvantaged sections and strengthens the school–community linkage. The programme has increased the socio-economic status of rural women. Some good habits and healthy practises among the schoolchildren are nurtured, and social integration and solidarity among them are encouraged. Healthy children are expected to attend school more sincerely and concentrate better than sick children (World Bank, 2014).

India has been confronted with serious challenges such as unemployment, poverty, hunger, malnutrition, and illiteracy for a long time. Many poor children earn money for their families at an early age at the cost of sacrificing their childhood. Consequently, the childhood of several children disappears before they enter youth and adulthood. This has not only become an obstacle to achieving the goal of UEE but also a serious threat to human development. Food insecurity hampers the health, education, and overall development of children. In this context, the provision of free and healthy meals in schools has great relevance. Despite this initiative, India remains the world’s leading provider of malnourished children. Through focused interventions and relevant policy reforms, children can be made free from hunger, with the added advantage of leading a healthier and happier life. They are considered to be the potential human resources of the country.

Despite all the problems, it cannot be denied that the mid-day meal programme has played an important role in the development of economically and socially weak children. However, the programme still needs improvement. It is necessary that the government change its approach regarding the implementation of the scheme, and attention should be paid to quantity as well as quality.

Article By -: Team Kalyan Institute

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