overview on midday scheme in india its efficency and loopholes

1. MID-DAY
MEAL
SCHEME
Brief analysis by- Gauri, Danielle, Mariya,
Suchita and Sejal

2. What is
midday meal
scheme?
• School meal programmed for
better the nutritional standing of
school-age children nationwide.
• Designed in India
• Renamed as POSHAN scheme
• Supplies free lunches on working
days for children in government
primary and upper primary
schools, government aided
Anganwadis, Madarsa and
Maqtabs.
• This scheme is largest of its kind
in the world.

3. OBJECTIVES
• Improving nutritional status of
children in classes 1-X in government,
local body and Government aided
schools, and EGS and AIE centers.
• Encouraging children, belonging to
disadvantaged sections, to attend
school more regularly and help them
concentrate on classroom activities
• Providing nutritional support to
children of primary stage in drought
affected areas during summer
vacation.

4. STRUCTURE
OF MID-MEAL
SCHEME

5. There are 3
models in
which the
scheme
works
• Centralized model – In the centralised model, an external
organisation cooks and delivers the meal to schools, mostly
through public-private partnerships. Centralised kitchens are seen
more in urban areas, where density of schools is high so that
transporting food is a financially viable option. . Various NGOs such
as the Nalabothu Foundation, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Ekta
Shakti Foundation, Naandi Foundation, and Jay Gee Humanitarian
Society provide midday meals. Advantages of centralised kitchens
include ensuring better hygienic as large-scale cooking is done
through largely automated processes.
• Decentralized model – This is the most widespread practice. In
the decentralised model, meals are cooked on-site by local cooks
and helpers or self-help groups. This system has the advantage of
being able to serve local cuisine, providing jobs in the area, and
minimising waste. It also allows for better monitoring (e.g., by
parents and teachers).
• International assistance- International voluntary and charity
organisations have assisted. Church World Service has provided
milk powder to Delhi and Madras Municipal Corporation; CARE has
provided corn soya meal, Bulgar wheat, and vegetable oils; and
UNICEF has provided high proteins foods and educational support.
In 1982, 'Food for Learning' was launched with assistance from the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

7. GOVERNMENT
REFORMS

8. • Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved
the continuation of ‘National Scheme for PM POSHAN in
Schools’ for the five-year period 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• This is a Centrally-Sponsored Scheme.
• The earlier name of the scheme was ‘National Scheme for
Mid-Day Meal in Schools’ popularly known as Mid-Day Meal
Scheme.
• Flagging “critical” levels of malnutrition and anaemia among
children, the Union Government has urged the states to explore
the possibility of introducing millets in the mid-day meal
scheme, now known as PM Poshan.
• Millets or nutri-cereals, which include Jowar, Bajra, and Ragi,
are rich in minerals and B-complex vitamins, as well as proteins
and antioxidants, making them an ideal choice for improving the
nutritional outcome of children.
• The scheme will also cover the 24 lakh children studying in
balvatikas, the preprimary section of government schools. The
government had opened ‘Balvatikas’ preschools attached to
‘Anganwadis’. They offer one year of preschool classes.
• The rebranded scheme aims to focus on “holistic nutrition”
goals. A 5% flexi component would be built into the existing
budget to allow States to incorporate additional nutrition-rich
elements — such as fortified foods, fruits and milk — into the
menu.

9. KEY
HIGHLIGHTS

11. SUCESSION RATE
• The Ministry of Education (earlier
known as the Ministry of Human
Resources and Development) is the
authorized body to implement the
scheme. Mid day Meal Scheme was first
started by Tamil Nadu in India . On a
national level, the scheme was
launched in 1995, but its history dates
back to 1925, when it was started by
the Madras Corporation.

15. .
The map shows how states in india have adjusted their midday
meal strategy in response to covid-19

16. • A 13-member Union government team visited a school in
West Bengal to review the mid-day meal scheme's
implementation amid controversy over irregularities. The
team, including officials from the Education Ministry and PM
Poshan Scheme, visited Banmalipur Primary School in
Rajarhat. The visit is a routine annual review in states.
Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari has accused Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee of diverting funds for the mid-day
meal scheme to compensate survivors of the Bogtui violence.
Adhikari will bring the matter to Union Education Minister
Dharmendra Pradhan. The scheme has been criticized for
unhygienic practices and has been allocated ₹372 crore to the
State for nutrition. The Union government sent teams to West
Bengal to oversee MGNREGA scheme implementation and PM
Awas Yojana scheme irregularities. Trinamool Congress
criticized the move as a political vendetta, arguing that funds
are being blocked and unhygienic food is being served to
children.

17. ERRORS IN MIDDAY MEAL
SCHEME

19. • A major drawback of the midday meal scheme, is
that it has failed to grow and evolve beyond the
basic objective of providing minimum levels of
nutrition.
• Enrolment levels declared are often exaggerated;
there are leakages of food grains, inadequate
monitoring and evidence of poor financial
discipline.
• The biggest drawback of the midday meal scheme,
is the poor monitoring and inadequate inspection
which allows for leakages and neglect of the quality
aspect and nutritional value of the food served.
• the CAG audit shows that the funds for monitoring
and inspections remain unutilized in many states
and that the educational officers at the district and
lower levels have not provided the minimum
attention that such a massive program should have
received.

21. EMBEZZELMENT
CASES
• In December 2005, the police seized eight truckloads
(2,760 sacks) of rice meant for primary
schoolchildren being carried from Food Corporation
of India (FCI) godowns in Bulandshahr district of
Uttar Pradesh to North Delhi.
• In November 2006, the residents of Pembong village
under the Mim tea estate (around 30 km from
Darjeeling), accused a group of teachers of
embezzling mid-day meals.
In December 2006, The Times of India reported a
scam involving government schools that siphon off
foodgrains under the mid-day meal scheme by faking
attendance.