The Mid Day Meal Scheme is a government program that aims to address issues of food security, nutrition, and access to education across India. It was launched in 1995 to provide free lunches to students in primary and upper primary schools with the primary objectives of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, improving nutritional and health status, and achieving universal primary education. Some additional objectives include reducing child mortality and morbidity, decreasing gender gaps in education, and combating diseases related to nutritional deficiencies.