The Mid-day Meal Scheme involves provision of lunch free of cost to school-children on all

working days.

Key Objectives: The key objectives of the programme are:

1. Protecting children from classroom hunger

2. Increasing school enrolment and attendance
3. Improved socialisation among children belonging to all castes
4. Addressing malnutrition, and social empowerment through provision of employment to
women.

The scheme has a long history especially in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, and has been
expanded to all parts of India after a landmark direction by the Supreme Court of India
on November 28, 2001.

 The success of this scheme is illustrated by the tremendous increase in the school
participation and completion rates in the state of Tamilnadu.
 Allocation for this programme has been enhanced from Rs. 3010 crore to Rs. 4813 crore
(Rs 48 billion, $1.2 billion) in 2006-2007.
 This program is being run by Akshaya Patra Foundation and is the world’s largest
school meal programme being implemented across seven states in India and covering about
ten lakh students in over 4,800 schools. The allocation was of Rs. 8000 crore for the Mid-Day
meal schemes in the interim budget 2009.
 This is world's largest school feeding programme.
 The revised nutritional Norms are as under :

At Primary Level (up to 5th Standard)

 Energy 450 K. Cal

 Proteins 12 gms.
 adequate micronutrients like Iron, Vitamin A , Folic Acid etc.

At Secondary Level (6th -8th Standard)

 Energy 700 cal

 proteins 20 gms
 adequate micronutrients like Iron, Vitamin A , Folic Acid etc.

Update : November 25, 2009 (Revision of Mid-day Meal Scheme)

1. The Government has revised the food norm for upper primary children by increasing
the quantity of pulses from 25 to 30 grams, vegetables from 65 to 75 grams and by
decreasing the quantity of oil and fats from 10 to 7.5 grams.
2. It has also revised the cooking cost (excluding the labour and administrative charges)
to Rs. 2.50 for primary and Rs. 3.75 for upper primary children. A separate component for
payment of honorarium of Rs. 1000 per month to cook-cum-helper and a norm for engaging
cook-cum-helper have been introduced.
3. The cost of construction of kitchen-cum-store will be determined on the basis of State
Schedule of Rates and the plinth area norm laid down by the Department of School Education
& Literacy.
4. The expenditure towards the cooking cost, the cost of construction of kitchen-cum-
store and the honorarium of cook-cum-helper will be shared between the centre and the
north Eastern (NE) States on 90:10 basis and with other States/UTs on 75:25 basis.
5. Transportation assistance in the 11 Special Category States (viz. Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Tripura) has been made at par with the Public Distribution System
(PDS) rates prevalent in these States.
6. As a result of this, the share of Central Government will increase by Rs. 10140.33 crore
for balance period of the 11th Plan.
7. The Mid Day Meal Scheme Guidelines stipulate that under no circumstance the
teachers will be assigned responsibilities, which impede or interfere with teaching learning
process in schools.
8. Their involvement in the programme is limited to ensure that good quality, wholesome
food is served to children and actual serving and eating is undertaken in a spirit of
togetherness, under hygienic conditions and in an orderly manner in about 30-40 minutes.