Even those who have a rough idea as to what Public-private Partnership involves, may find it difficult to associate the concept with NGOs. In India, after all, the Government and NGOs are seldom found on the same side. But obviously there are exceptions to this; the Public-private Partnership between these two sides to implement the Mid-day Meal Programme is one of the best examples of the same.

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The Akshaya Patra Foundation© 2016 All Rights Reserved
Even those who have a rough idea as to what Public-private Partnership involves, may
find it difficult to associate the concept with NGOs. In India, after all, the Government
and NGOs are seldom found on the same side. But obviously there are exceptions to
this; the Public-private Partnership between these two sides to implement the Mid-day
Meal Programme is one of the best examples of the same.
Government-NGO Public-Private
Partnership and the Mid-day Meals Scheme

2. 2
The Akshaya Patra Foundation© 2016 All Rights Reserved
The Public-private Partnership
(PPP) model is usually associated
with the infrastructure sector,
where investments are huge and
therefore, the Government gets
into a partnership with private
sector companies to make projects
economically viable. Of late,
however, it has become popular in
other sectors as well.
In the education sector, for
instance, the Government has got
into a tie-up with NGOs
toimplement the Mid-day Meal
Scheme (MDMS), the Government
of India’s ambitious school lunch
programme, as a part of which a
nutritious meal is provided to over
100 million school children every
day.
How NGOs Come Into the Picture?
Now the implementation of MDMS
has been nothing short of a
Herculean task for State
Governments, and that shouldn’t
really come as a surprise,
considering that it is the largest
school lunch programme in the
world. Therefore, in order to make
it viable, several State
Governments have forged a
partnership with NGOs with sound
financial and logistical credentials.
The Government of Karnataka, for
example, has got into a
partnership with a Bangalore-
based not-for-profit organisation,
The Akshaya Patra Foundation
(TAPF), to provide mid-day meals
to school children across six
locations in the state. Karnataka
isjust one of the ten states across the
country where Akshaya Patra serves
mid-day meals. Overall, it feeds over
1.5 million children in 11,360 schools
across ten locations. Akshaya Patra
is one of the few well-known NGOs in
India that are assisting the states to
implement the ambitious
programme.
How the Government-NGO
Partnership is Enhancing the Mid-day
Meal Scheme?
The Government - NGO partnership
system has helped several states to
iron out the wrinkles in MDMS.
Earlier, the teachers were entrusted
the task of preparing mid-day meals,
as a result of which they were not
able to focus on their primary role,
i.e., teaching. With NGOs taking care
of the cooking part now, the teachers
don’t have to worry about it.
Similarly, as cooking is now carried
out in centralized kitchens away from
the school premises, it has ruled out
the chances of mishaps, thus making
the premises safer for children.
There are several areas where it has
helped in making a positive impact,
no doubt, but the most important
benefit of NGOs joining the
Government is the fact that it has
helped the latter to reach out to more
children. Like we said, Akshaya Patra
feeds over 1.5 children across ten
locations in the country.

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The Akshaya Patra Foundation© 2016 All Rights Reserved
That is not to say the Government is a passive spectator. It does its bit by
providing land for the construction of kitchens, providing food grains, and
even helps NGOs to raise funds by putting forth provisions like 100% tax
deduction. (In addition, in several areas, it helps schools run their own mid-
day meal kitchens.)
The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy framed under the New
Companies Act, 2013, has also come as a blessing in disguise for this
programme. This policy makes it mandatory for ‘qualifying companies’ to
spend at least 2% of their average net profit for 3 preceding financial years on
CSR initiatives to facilitate socioeconomic development.
This has made it easier for NGOs to raise funds for both, sustainability and
expansion.
It also means more attention can be paid to the quality of food by using funds
to procure latest technology. State-of-the-art food laboratories are now being
used to monitor the quality of food and ensure basic standards of food safety.
The involvement of NGOs in the implementation of this programme has not
just helped in improving the quality of meals served, but has also provided an
opportunity to encourage community participation; the latter by means of fund
raising, volunteering, etc.
Now that it has been quite some time since the Government and NGOs have
got into a public-private partnership, the benefits of this tie-up have already
started to surface. The quality of meals has enhanced, the number of
beneficiaries has increased, and most important of all, the battle against
hunger and malnutrition has found a new lease of life.
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