On the eve of the World Health Day 2016, we put forth how the mid-day meal programme — the largest of its kind in the world — is helping the country to battle hunger and malnutrition in children.

1. 2016
The Akshaya Patra Foundation –
www.akshayapatra.org
World Health Day: Children
Health and Mid-day Meals

2. The World Health Organisation (WHO)—a UN agency concerned with public
health at the international level—was founded on 7th April, 1948. In order to
commemorate its founding, it was decided to observe 7th April as the World
Health Day. While the WHO uses the day to spread awareness about some
health issue of major importance, the same is also used by various
organisations working in the field of public health to draw people’s attention
to issues of concern and put forth some solutions. In India, hunger and
malnutrition are two such issues, and the Mid-day Meal Scheme (MDMS) is
one of the solutions.
On 28th November, 2001, the Supreme Court of India directed the State
Governments “to implement the Mid-Day Meal Scheme by providing every
child in every Government and Government-aided primary school with a
prepared mid-day meal with a minimum content of 300 calories and 8-12 g
of protein each day of school for a minimum of 200 days.” The stipulated
nutritional content has since been raised to 450 calories and 12 g protein for
children in primary schools and 700 calories and 20 g protein for children in
upper-primary schools.
Mid-day Meal and Children’s Health
In a country where malnutrition is rampant, 450 calories a day come as a
blessing in disguise; all the more so because at times this is the lone meal
many of these children afford. If malnutrition levels in India have dropped
from 42.5% in 2005-06 to 30% in 2013-14, it’s partly because of feeding
initiatives like the MDMS and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
Mid-day meal guidelines also state that the meals served should supply
micronutrients like iron, zinc, folic acid, vitamin A, etc., to the beneficiaries,
thus making it a wholesome meal necessary for proper growth. It’s
important to provide nutrient-rich healthy food to children, as the lack of
these nutrients can result in problems like stunting (low height-for-age) and
wasting (low weight-for-age).

3. The meals are prepared after taking specific guidelines into consideration to
make sure that children get necessary nutrients. In some states, a list of
recipes is provided and the schools are expected to pick one every day,
whilst being careful not to repeat it that week. In some states, the
vegetables used to prepare meals are repeated on a daily basis.
School teachers are testimony to the change the MDM programme has
brought about, especially in the context of children’s health. Earlier, many
children used to reach school on an empty stomach; at times, even having
missed their previous night’s dinner. As a result, it was difficult for them to
concentrate on what they were being taught in school. Since the
implementation of MDMS, students are faring better in academics as their
concentration has improved.

4. Lack of a nutritious meal on a daily basis made children weak and thus,
prone to missing school. The improvement in nutrition levels of children
because of MDMS has translated into reduced absenteeism and dropout
rates. With examples like these, it’s but obvious that the mid-day meal is of
utmost importance for these people.

5. Good Hygiene - Sound Health
Mid-day meals are not just directly contributing to the health and nutrition of
children, but also helping indirectly by inculcating good habits in them.
According to the new MDM guidelines, it’s mandatory for all schools serving
mid-day meals to allocate handwashing time as a part of the school
timetable in order to ensure that children wash their hands with soap both,
before and after their meal. Handwashing is a hygienic practice which helps
keep several diseases at bay. Studies reveal that washing hands with soap
reduces the likelihood of diarrhoea by a whopping 48 percent.
The best part is that the MDMS is having a positive impact on both, health
and education sectors. In the education sector, it acts as a perfect incentive
to bring children to school. In fact, there are cases where school-going
children are accompanied by their younger siblings for that one nutritious
meal. It’s worth noting that the Public-private Partnership with Non-
Governmental Organisations, like the Akshaya Patra Foundation, is helping
the State Governments to feed hungry children across the country.
At the end of the day, it’s safe to say that it’s because of the MDMS that
children, who would have otherwise been working to support their family,
can now have a nutritious meal … and dare to pursue their dreams. So why
not use this World Health Day to further the cause and help the concerned
agencies to reach more children.
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