“Addressing the issue of nutrition and education simultaneously, Mid-Day Meal scheme is a ray of hope for many”
India feed more than 115 million children every year under Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS). The mid-day meal scheme is a school-based program in India, targeted and designed to meet the nutritional requirements of school-aged (going) children nationwide. Under this scheme government of India provides free food to the children who studies in the government schools all across India. This scheme is the first step of Indian government towards attracting the poor or less-privileged children who are living below the poverty line i.e., who could not afford to attend the school or do not wish to go to school.
In a survey, it was found that children want food more than books. That’s the reason why the government had started this program where-in all children can get food and education at the same place. Under article 24 (paragraph 2c) of ‘The Convention on the Rights of the Child’, to which India is a party, India has committed to yield “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 a kin to the legal backing provided in the US through the National School Lunch Act.
It was seen that children from many villages, started going to school just to eat. As a result of this initiative of government, many children have been educated.
History of MDMS
In India it was initially launched in the year 1995 in Tamil Nadu state on a pilot basis. But actually the root of the MDMS can be traced back from pre-independence era i.e. 1925 (Madras corporation). From 1 July, 1982 onwards, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. G. Ramachandran upgraded the existing midday meal scheme in the state to ‘Nutritious food scheme’ keeping in the mind that 68 lakh children suffer malnutrition.
Gujarat was the second state to implement MDM scheme in 1984. By the year 1990-91, twelve states joined this thread and they were being funded under the scheme, covering all or most of the student in those areas. The states were Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, and Uttar Pradesh.
Government of India on MDMS
The government of India initiated the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE) on 15 August 1995.The main objective of this scheme was to help in enhancing the effectiveness of primary education by improving the nutritional status of primary school children. At first it was started in 2,408 blocks of the country to provide food to students in classes through five of government or government-aided and local body run schools.
In FY 2020-21, GoI allocated `11,000 crore for MDMS, an 11 per cent increase compared to previous year’s Revised Estimates (REs) but in line with the Budget Estimates (BEs).
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
fig.1;( taken from Wikipedia.com)
In this pandemic, the central government has decided to transfer the amount of its share of the cooking-cost-component of MDMS, for students of classes1 to 8 directly into their bank account, as a one-time transfer under COVID relief.
Government is of the opinion, that in such an adverse situation like this where-in all the schooling facilities are close due to COVID19, the children dependent upon one-time food of the primary school may get under-nourished which can have an adverse effect on their immune system. So, the government decided to send money directly to the accounts of their parents, so that they don’t face any problems with their foodings and also they get some financial aid too.
CONCLUSION
The Mid-Day Meal scheme is one the most-beautifully designed program. It is one of its kinds in fulfilling basic requiems of providing nutritious food and basic education which is bare necessity of life. There is no-doubt that this scheme has been successful to some extent and has been of significant help in increasing the school enrollment ratio in primary schools. However, the quality of attendance is not as good as it was expected because there are many loopholes that have been identified by the management concerned. To utilize and reap the benefits this scheme to its fullest potential, the concerned officials are required to address and come-up with proper and effective implementations. If done properly, this scheme can help India achieve the golden nutrition and literacy rate in a considerable span of time.
(Writer is a Student of Faculty of Commerce, BHU and Member at FETC)
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