FightingClassroom Hunger- Achievements of

Mid Day Meal Scheme

Dr.Gracious ames
September 01, 2013 | Dr.Gracious James Web Exclusives, Mid Da Meal
The National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-
NSPE) which is popularly known as the Mid-day Meal Scheme was
launched by the o!ernment of "ndia in #$$%& NP-NSPE states that it
aims to address 'classroom hunger( and encourage poor children)
belonging to disad!antaged sections) to attend school regularly and help
them concentrate on classroom acti!ities& The mid-day meal programme
is a multi-faceted programme of the o!ernment of "ndia that) among
other things) also seeks to address issues of food security) lack of
nutrition and access to education on a nationwide scale& The Scheme is
the world*s largest school feeding programme reaching out to about #+
crore children in o!er #+&,% lakh schools-ES centres across the country&
Anaemia and Malnutrition
The le!el of malnutrition is of great concern in "ndia with o!er ./0 of
children being classified as undernourished& 1nder nutrition is highly
pre!alent among rural children in "ndia& Sur!ey among rural population of
"ndia) by National Nutrition Monitoring 2ureau in +//+) reported
pre!alence of malnutrition) using ome3 classification to be $.&,0 among
,-$ year and $4&#0 in #/-#5 year old& 6naemia affects o!er 5-.th of the
school children due to low intake of iron and folic acid& The reasons for
such high le!els of malnutrition and anaemia are comple7& They include
po!erty) gender ine8uity) specific dietary patterns and recurrent illness) all
these acting in con9unction&
School feeding programmes are popular in the de!eloping world and
beyond) not only because of their educational but also for their nutritional
benefits& Mid day meal acts as a regular source of 'supplementary
nutrition( for children) which facilitates their healthy growth& To achie!e
the ob9ecti!es of the Scheme) the guidelines prescribe specific nutritional
content in the mid day meal (see Table #)&
Sl.!o. "tem #rimary $%%er #rimary
# :alories .%/ calories 4// calories
+ Protein #+gms& +/gms&
Historical Develo%ment of the Mid Day Meal Scheme
;espite all its economic prosperity in certain areas) "ndia lags behind on
many social parameters& <ne of them is child nutrition and nourishment&
.+0 of the "ndian children under the age of % are underweight& Most
children belonging to the economically-backward background are
foregoing schooling to supplement their family=s income& The surest way
to break out of the cycle of po!erty is through education& Education can
significantly impro!e the 8uality of life of a family for generations to
come& >hen the basic needs of a child) such as food are not met)
education often becomes the last priority&
6ccording to the report of the :ommittee on Mid-;ay Meals (#$$%)) its
first !enture was in #$+%& 6t that time) an M;M programme was
introduced for children of poor socio economic status in the Madras
:orporation area in the state of Tamil Nadu& Subse8uently) in #$+?)
@esha! 6cademy of :alcutta introduced a compulsory AMid-day Tiffin* for
school boys& "n #$.#) @erala started the School Bunch Programme& <n +?
No!ember +//#) the Supreme :ourt passed an interim order that
pro!ided for the con!ersion of eight food security schemes into
entitlements (i&e& rights) of the poor& 2etween +//+ and +//.) howe!er)
most "ndian states instituted uni!ersal midday meals in public primary
schools& Prior to the formal launch of the :ooked Mid ;ay Meal
programme) the practice of pro!iding meals in schools was present in
se!eral states& Table + summari3es in chronological order of the launch of
mid day meal in different states&
&a'le (-)aunch of the Mid Day Meal Scheme across States
Sl.
!o.
!ame of
States
*ear of
launching
of MDM
Glim%ses
# Tamil Nadu #$+5 Started in Madras
:ity by Madras
Municipal
:orporation C
e7tended to full
State in #$?+&
+& >est 2engal #$+? Started in :alcutta
city by @esha!
6cademy of :alcutta
as compulsory Mid-
day Tiffin on
payment basis at
the rate of four
annas per child per
month&
5& Maharashtra #$.+ Started free mid day
meal in 2ombay& "t
was launched in
#$$%-$, as a
centrally sponsored
scheme&
.& @arnataka #$., Started in 2angalore
city to pro!ide
cooked rice and
yoghurt& There was
pro!ision of gi!ing 5
kg of rice-wheat per
month -per child
who had ?/0 or
more attendance in
#$$%& :ooked meal
was started in 4
north eastern
districts during
+//+-/5&
%& 1ttar
Pradesh
#$%5 "t introduced a
scheme on !oluntary
basis to gi!e boiled
gram) ground-nut)
puffed rice and
seasonal fruits&
,& @erala #$,/ Scheme had been
funded by :6DE
(:ooperate
6merican Delief
E!erywhere) under
1S 6ssistance
during the period
#$,/-#$?5 (in a
pilot manner)&
4& 2ihar #$$% Started with dry
ration of 5 kg-per
student-per month
and started
pro!iding cooked
meal in 5/ blocks of
#/ districts in +//5-
/.
?& 6ndhra
Pradesh
#$$% There was pro!ision
of gi!ing 5 kg of
rice-wheat per
month per child with
?/0 or more
attendance in
school&
$& Madhya
Pradesh
#$$% "nitially dry rations
or ;alia was
pro!ided&
#/& Da9asthan #$$% Students of
o!ernment Primary
schools were
pro!ided wheat at
the rate of 5 kg- per
student -per month
##& 6runachal
Pradesh
#$$% "nitially only dry
ration was pro!ided
in fi!e districts of
the state) e7tended
to all schools since
+//.&
#+& Pun9ab #$$% Students of
o!ernment Primary
schools were
pro!ided wheat at
the rate of 5 kg per
student- per month
and switched o!er to
cooked meal in one
block of e!ery
district in +//+-/5&
#5& Earyana #$$% "nitially
implemented in #4
blocks of , districts
C e7tended to ..
blocks where female
literacy rate was
lower than the
national le!el in
#$$,-$4&
#.& Eimachal
Pradesh
#$$% "nitially dry ration
was pro!ided
#%& Fammu C
@ashmir
#$$% "nitially dry ration
was pro!ided
#,& Meghalaya #$$% Started with dry
ration of 5 kg per
student -per month&
#4& Fharkhand +//5 "t was taken up on a
pilot basis in 5#./
go!ernment primary
schools in #$
districts initially&
Source: Planning Commission, Govt.of India, 2010
$ni+ue Features of the Scheme
The :ooked Mid-;ay Meal (:M;M) was introduced in all go!ernment and
go!ernment-aided primary schools in 6pril +//+& :M;M scheme proposed
to supply meal containing 5// calories and ?-#+ grams of proteins to all
children studying in classes " to G in go!ernment and go!ernment aided
schools and Education uarantee Scheme (ES)- 6lternati!e and
"nno!ati!e Education (6"E) centres w&e&f& September) +//. (re!ised to
.%/ calories and #+ grams of protein with ade8uate 8uantities of
micronutrients like iron) folic acid) and !itamin-6 etc& w&e&f& Fune) +//,)&
;uring +/##-#+) the scheme has further been re!ised as followsH
i& The re!ision of norms for pro!iding mid-day meal to N:BP children
has been changed from Primary to 1pper Primary children norms
w&e&f& #&##&+/##&
ii& MME I #&?0 of :ost of food grain) :ooking cost) Transportation
and Eonorarium to :ook-cum-Eelpers is being pro!ided to States
w&e&f& #&.&+/##& Prior to this) MME was pro!ided I#&?0 of only
three components i&e& :ost of food grain) :ooking cost and
Transportation&
iii& Transportation assistance effecti!e from #&.&+/#/ in the ## Special
:ategory States ha!e been made at par with the P;S rates
pre!alent in these States&
i!& 6s the system of payment of cost of food grains to J:" from the
o!ernment of "ndia was prone to delays and risk) the payment of
cost of food grains to the J:" has been decentrali3ed at the district
le!el w&e&f& #&.&+/#/&
Central Government Assistance
1nder the Mid-;ay Meal Scheme :entral o!ernment pro!idesH
(1)100% cost of the following components:
a. Food grains: Supply of free food grains (wheat-rice) I #// grams
per child per School ;ay at Primary classes ("-G) and #%/ grams per
child per School day at upper primary classes (G"-G""")&
b. Transportation: 6ctual cost of transportation of food grains from
nearest J:" godown to the Primary School&
c. anagement, onitoring ! "valuation #"$: 6t the rate of #&?0
of total assistance on (a) free food grains) (b) transport cost and (c)
cooking cost& 6nother /&+0 of the abo!e amount is utili3ed at the
:entral o!ernment le!el for management) monitoring and
e!aluation&
d. %ne time Central &ssistance is pro!ided to States for construction of
@itchen Sheds I Ds&,/) /// per unit and Ds&%/// for
procurement-replacement of @itchen ;e!ices for each school
co!ered under M;M Scheme&
(2) Central Assistance for Cooking Cost on sharing basis.
6t Primary stage the :entral 6ssistance towards cooking cost per
child-school day is Ds&#&?$ for NED States pro!ided the States contribute
minimum +/ paise and Ds& #&%? for other States-1Ts pro!ided the
State-1T contribute minimum %/ paise& 6t 1pper Primary stage the
:entral 6ssistance towards cooking cost per child-school day is Ds&+&.+
for NED States pro!ided the States contribute minimum +/ paise and
Ds&+&#/ for other States-1Ts&
Additional funds
To offset the impact of price rise) :entral 6ssistance for cooking cost has
been enhanced with effect from #&.&+/## from Ds& +&,$ per child per
school day to Ds& +&?$ at primary stage and from Ds& .&/5 per child per
school day to Ds& .&55 at upper primary stage& This includes cost of
pulses) !egetables) oils) condiments and fuel& "n addition) food
grains(>heat-Dice) are pro!ided free of cost by the :entral o!ernment&
,edressal of grievances
"n Fune +/#/) guiding principles for setting up rie!ance Dedressal
Mechanisms (DMs) for registering complaints through toll free
number-dedicated telephone number or through letters were issued to all
States-1Ts& ;ata on such complaints-grie!ances recei!ed and redressed
through DMs is maintained by the states& 6ny complaints of malpractices
in the implementation of the Mid ;ay Meal Scheme that come to the
notice of the :entral o!ernment are referred to the concerned
States-1Ts for in!estigations and appropriate remedial action& $+
complaints were recei!ed during +//$-+/## by !arious States& +%
complaints related to Poor Kuality of JoodL 5 each in 2ihar C Earyana) ,
in Madhya Pradesh) 4 in ;elhi& +4 complaints related to
:orruption-misappropriationL 5 in Pun9ab) . in Madhya Pradesh and #/ in
1ttar Pradesh& $ complaints related to :aste discriminationL 5 in 1ttar
Pradesh and . in Madhya Pradesh& 5# complaints related to other
irregularitiesL 4 in 2ihar and ## in 1ttar Pradesh& 44 complaints ha!e
been addressed& #% are pendingL $ complaints relate to other
irregularities (. of +//$ and % of +/##)L 5 complaints relate to poor
8uality of food (# of +/#/ and + of +/##) + of corruption and # :aste
discrimination in +/##& The concerned states ha!e taken action on these
complaints) which includes transferring the concerned Principal of School)
reco!ering amount from the ram Pradhan) suspending and initiating
disciplinary proceedings against defaulting persons etc&
Monitoring of Mid-Day-Meal Scheme
To ensure effecti!e implementation of the Mid-;ay-Meal scheme) there is
a detailed monitoring mechanism at the school) block) district) State and
the National le!el& 6ccording to the reports of the State o!ernments) till
5/th September +/#/) %) +/)?$# inspections ha!e been carried out& "n
addition 5, independent Monitoring "nstitutes ha!e been engaged with
defined terms of reference to monitor and super!ise the Scheme on a
biannual basis& The Supreme :ourt :ommissioners ha!e also e!aluated
the scheme in si7 States of the country&
Mid Day Meal Schemes -e' Site
The 1nion Minister for Euman Desource ;e!elopment launched a
comprehensi!e websiteH www&mdm&nic&in for creating greater awareness
about the scheme to ensure transparency in the implementation of the
scheme& The site pro!ides detailed guidelines about the schemeL the
Programme 6ppro!al 2oard appro!als for !arious states-1Ts as well as
the physical and financial progress under the scheme& The site also brings
out the inno!ati!e practices adopted by the !arious states& "t also
pro!ides details about the key officers responsible for the scheme and
their contact details&
Contri'utions and achievements of the Scheme
Jindings of the e!aluation studies by independent organi3ations in !arious
states indicate the following impacts&
The :ooked Mid ;ay Meal Program has been successful in
addressing 'classroom hunger( in the beneficiary schools& This
scheme helps o!ercome 'classroom hunger( as many children come
to school empty stomach or) those coming from distant places)
again feel hungry on reaching school) and thus cannot concentrate
on studies&
The contribution of mid-day meals to food security and child
nutrition seems to be particularly crucial in tribal areas where
hunger is endemic&
Mid ;ay meals ha!e big effects on school participation) not 9ust in
terms of getting more children enrolled in the registers but also in
terms of regular pupil attendance on a daily basis& Mid day meal has
brought a sharp increase in school enrolment and attendance rates
across all the states and more importantly narrowing the gender
gaps in school attendance rates&
There is also e!idence to suggest that mid day meals ha!e an
important social !alue and foster e8uality& :ooked Mid ;ay Meal is
reported to ha!e created a platform for children of all social and
economic backgrounds to take meals together) thereby facilitating
achie!ing the ob9ecti!e of social e8uity&
School meal program also pro!ides parents with a strong incenti!e
to send children to school) thereby encouraging enrolment and
reducing absenteeism and dropout rates& "t supports health)
nutrition) and education goals and conse8uently will ha!e a multi-
pronged impact on a nation*s o!erall social and economic
de!elopment&
School feeding programme ser!e as a !ery effecti!e mechanism for
strengthening the sociali3ation process& "t helps to break the caste
and class barriers&
Mid day meal has also helped the poor families that) engulfed in
po!erty) hunger and star!ation stri!ing hard to ha!e one s8uare
meal a day) can not e!en think of sending their children to schools&
The poor households such as those headed by widows or landless
labourers !alue that assurance of a free lunch e!ery day for their
children&
This programme has created a !ery congenial atmosphere for
education) health growth and o!erall well-being of the poor and
needy children&
The gender gap in school participation tends to narrow) as the Mid
;ay Meal Scheme helps erode the barriers that pre!ent girls from
going to school& Mid ;ay Meal Scheme also pro!ide a useful source
of employment for women) and helps liberate working women from
the burden of cooking at home during the day& "n these and other
ways) women and girl children ha!e a special stake in Mid ;ay Meal
Scheme&
National :ouncil of Educational Desearch C Training*s latest report
states that Bearning 6chie!ement of Students at the End of :lass-G
has inferred that children co!ered under mid day meal ha!e higher
achie!ement le!el than those who were not co!ered under it&
The Scheme has created !arious good habits in children) such as
washing one*s hands before and after eating) use of clean water )
good hygiene etc&
&a'le .-Achievements during the %eriod (//0-/1 to (/22-2(
Com%one
nts
(//0-
/1
(//1-
/3
(//3-
/45
(//4-
/65
(//6-
2/5
(/2/-
225
(/22-
2(5
Children
covered
7in Cr.8
22.69 2/.14 22..3 22.26 22..1 2/.91
2/..0
u% to
././6.
22
Food
grain
allocated
7in la:h
M&s8
((.02 (2.1/ (9.36 (6../ (3.32 (6.9/ (6./6
;udget
allocatio
n 7in Cr.8
..90.
(1
0.94.
//
1134.
//
4///.
//
3.06.
20
699/.
//
2/.4/.
//
&otal <=%
7in Cr.8
.241.
..
0(...
93
04.0.
99
1144.
/(
16.3.
36
62(4.
99
3163.(
9
u% to
(6.2(.
22
Source: &nnual 'eport 2011(12, )'*, Government of India.
+ Primar, and -pper Primar, Com.ined
#ro'lems of MDM #rogramme
Some of the problems most commonly reported in !arious studies related
to the M;M programme in different parts of the country includeH
Gery poor infrastructure facilities (e&g& cooking shed) water supply
and utensils)L
Depetition of the same menu e!ery dayL
;isruption of classroom processes because teachers had to o!ersee
the operationL
Poor 8uality and !ariety of foodL
Poor hygiene (including reports of sickness after meals)L
"nade8uate payment of salaries to cooksL
"nsufficient budgetary allocation toward con!ersion costs which
reportedly resulted in the fi7ed menuL
:aste and religious bias among some parents in some placesL
Bimited opportunities for parental participation in the programmeL
Back of enough plates in some cases) resulting in children eating off
lea!es or paperL
"rregular and delayed deli!ery of food grains and funding in some
casesL
The 8uantity and 8uality of food were likely to be less than the
minimum stipulated by the courtL
Bow 8uality rice was pro!ided by J:") which re8uired suppliers to
e7change it for better 8uality rice from the marketL
Back of maintenance of sheds
Suggestions
o!ernment needs to establish a system to ascertain impro!ement
in nutritional le!els of children& "t should coordinate with the
concerned department and ensure maintenance of health cards in
all the schools to monitor the health status of the children&
There is a need to narrow the gap between enrolment !s& actual
number of children a!ailing M;M&
Monitoring and Super!ision mechanisms should be implemented
effecti!ely& The State go!ernment needs to strengthen the internal
controls as well as the inspection and monitoring mechanism at all
le!els&
The 8uality of cooked food ser!ed needs to be enhanced&
Transfer of funds up to school le!el is needed to ensure full
utili3ation of funds&
The rie!ance Dedressal Mechanism should be widened and
implemented at all le!els&
There should be pro!ision for training of cooks-cum-helpers on
aspects of hygiene) health) sanitation) cooking and ser!ing&
"t is essential that the children and the parents are gi!en nutrition
education) so that M;M is not taken as a substitute for home food
but as an addition to the food pro!ided by the family&
Conclusions
The Scheme could be a platform for strengthening the school health
programme in order to produce a real impact& Since the Supreme :ourt
says that the onus to monitor the implementation of the scheme
essentially lies with the :entral go!ernment) as it is the :entral
go!ernment that is pro!iding assistance) it is important that leakages
from the M;MS should be stopped at all cost&
:omprehensi!e) periodical and systematic orientation is mandatory to
sensiti3e all stakeholders including the policy makers) implementers)
teachers) centre le!el officials and community people to make them
understand this scheme well& This would help them to become more
efficient and be acti!e partners in the programme that will certainly
enhance its performance&