Midday Meal Scheme

As the name itself says, ‘Midday Meal Scheme’ is one meal that is offered to all the children enrolled/ registered in government schools or government aided schools or local body schools or special training centres or education guarantee scheme or alternative innovative centres or madrasas or maqtabs supported under SSA [Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan].

The name of the Midday Meal Scheme has been renamed several times. The same is explained hereunder –

• The Scheme was launched on 15^th August 1995 under the name ‘National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education’.
• In October 2007, the Scheme was renamed to ‘National Programme of Midday Meal in Schools’. The same is popularly known as the ‘Midday Meal Scheme’.
• In September 2021, the ‘Midday Meal Scheme’ was renamed to ‘PM Poshan’ / ‘Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirma’.

The present article covers the objective of the Midday Meal Scheme; features of the Midday Meal Scheme; the quantum of a meal provided under the Midday Meal Scheme and brief detail of PM Poshan.

Objective of the Midday Meal Scheme –

The objectives of the Midday Meal Scheme are explained hereunder –

1. To raise the enrolment in the school with regard to children mainly belonging to the disadvantaged/ underprivileged sections of the society;

2. To offer nutritional support to the children who are studying in the elementary stage mainly in the drought affected areas;

3. To raise the attendance level in the Government/ Government aided schools;

4. To retain more and more children studying in class 1 to class 8.

Features of the Midday Meal Scheme –

The features of the Midday Meal Scheme are –

1. The specified meals are to be served only in the school premises. The same is to be served on all the working days of the school.

2. All the schools need to have a hygienic cooking infrastructure so that the meals can be cooked in a hygienic manner;

3. The School Management Committee plays an important role in monitoring the Midday Meal Scheme;

4. The headmasters/ headmistress is empowered to use the school funds in case the midday meal fund gets exhausted. As soon as the school is credited, the same is to be reimbursed to the midday meal fund.

5. For ensuring the quality and nutrition of the meal, the Food and Drugs Administration Department of the State is empowered to collect the food samples.

6. In case of an unforeseen circumstance, if the cooked meal is not provided. Then, the children will be given food allowance in the following manner –

• • Quantum of food grains as per the entitlement of the child; and
  • Cooking costs as prevalent in the respective state.

Quantum of meals provided under Midday Meal Scheme –

Calorie intake and quantity of food items per child per school day (primary and upper primary) as provided under the Midday Meal Scheme is tabulated hereunder –

• Calorie intake –

• Food intake –

Details of PM Poshan –

As stated above, the ‘Midday Meal Scheme’ was revamped to ‘PM Poshan’ in September 2021. The new revamped ‘PM Poshan’ is launched for 5 years starting from 2021-2022 to 2025-2026. The budget passed for ‘PM Poshan’ is whooping around INR 1,30,795 Crores. It is aimed to benefit around 11.80 Crore children. Notably, the revamped ‘PM Poshan’ is an updated version of the ‘Midday Meal Scheme’.

The highlights of ‘PM Poshan’ are briefed hereunder –

• To provide nutritional meals to school children;
• To monitor the nutritional levels of the school children;
• To appoint a nutritional expert for monitoring the BMI, weight and haemoglobin level of the school children;
• To develop a nutrition garden in the school campus and ensure active participation by the children.