Explained: Midday meal and supplements

What is the News?

From the next academic session, Karnataka is likely to become the 13th state to provide eggs under the Midday Meal Scheme.

This decision comes in the backdrop of surveys such as the National Family Health Survey-V which found 35% of children under five stunted and around 20% wasted.

What is a Mid Day Meal Scheme?

Historical Background: The roots of the Mid Day Meal Scheme can be traced back to the pre-independence era when a midday meal programme was introduced in the 1920s by the erstwhile Madras Municipal Corporation

In post-Independence India, Tamil Nadu was the first state to roll out a school feeding scheme in 1956. 

In 1984, Kerala became the second state in the country to have a school lunch programme.Over the next few years, many other states launched their own versions of the scheme and finally in 1995, the Centre launched the Mid Day Meal Scheme.

What is the status of the scheme today?

The Mid Day Meal Scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. It has been renamed as PM Poshan Shakti Nirman or PM Poshan in 2021.

Currently, the scheme covers children across Classes 1 to 8 (age group 6 to 14) in government and government-aided schools and those run by local bodies.

Moreover, this Mid Day Meal is not just a scheme but a legal entitlement of all school-going children in primary and upper primary classes, through the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 as well as the Supreme Court’s ruling in People’s Union of Civil Liberties vs Union of India and Others(2001).

What is on the menu in the Mid Day Meal Scheme?

The menu varies from one state or Union Territory to another. But the authorities need to ensure that the nutritional component of the meal made up of rice, pulses, vegetables, oil and fat provides at least 450 calories and 12 gm of protein to children in primary grades. For upper primary children, the requirements are 700 calories and 20 gm of protein. 

The variations are in the cases of additional items such as milk, eggs, chikki, or fruits that the states provide as supplementary nutrition, the expenses for which are borne by the state government.

Why should Eggs be part of the Mid Day Meal Scheme?

Eggs provide many of the nutritional needs including good quality proteins, minerals, vitamins and fats. They are easy to cook, not prone to adulteration and pilferage like other foods and contribute to increasing school attendance.

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: Midday meal and supplements” published in Indian Express on 13th April 2022.