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Hunger / HDI | Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS)
Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS)

Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS)

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The key findings of the World Food Programme's brief titled School Meals in India -- Tracking State Government Response to COVID-19: January to March 2021, released in 2021 (please click here to access): 

• The World Food Programme (WFP) has been monitoring the COVID-MDM response through tracking and documenting the response across States since March 2020 and this is the Fourth Report in the series.

• The Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) is a flagship programme of the Government of India wherein hot cooked meals are provided to school children studying in Classes I to VIII (aged 6 – 14 years) across all government and government-aided schools with the aims of enhancing enrolment, retention, attendance and simultaneously improving the nutritional status of school children. In terms of numbers of children, India’s Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme is considered to be the world’s largest school meals programme.

• To ensure regular supply of MDM to all eligible children, the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 and the Mid-Day Meal Rules 2015 mandate that if MDM is not provided in school on any school day for any reason, the State Government shall pay a Food Security Allowance (FSA) to students’ by the 15th of the following month, consisting of:
- In-kind food grains (kgs) as per the entitlement of each child
- Cash equalling the prevailing cooking cost in the State.

Timeline of actions by the National Government:

• March 20, 2020 - Ministry of Human Resource Development (now the Ministry of Education) issued a guidance requesting States and UTs to provide either hot cooked mid-day meals in schools or the food security allowance to all eligible children.

• April 30, 2020 - the Ministry of Education issues guidance requesting States and UTs to continue provision of MDM or food security allowance, during the summer vacations.

• July 31, 2020 - The Ministry of Education issues a letter advising the States and UTs to provide the food grains and cooking cost to the children as per their entitlements. The letter also highlighted that all the schools would remain closed till 31st August 2020 and requested the concerned authorities in the States and UTs to ensure distribution of food grains and pulses, oil etc. (equivalent to cooking cost) by 10th August 2020, following all the social distancing guidelines.

• September 15, 2020 – Advisory sent to all States and UTs to provide “food security allowance, to children to enable them to meet their nutritional requirements and safeguard their immunity during closure of schools.”

• October 5, 2020 - the Ministry of Education issues detailed guidelines for the reopening of schools in a graded manner, providing the flexibility to the States and UTs to decide after October 15, 2020, in consultation with the schools management, and no student should be forced to attend school without their parents’ consent.

Major findings of the Jan-March 2021 COVID-MDM response tracking exercise

• Elementary classes are fully reopened in 10 States and UTs and partially reopened (only classes 6-8) in 15 States and UTs. 

• MDM is functional in one form or another in 35 of 36 States and UTs with Telangana being the only State where MDM is not functional. 

• 7 States and UTs are providing hot cooked meals while 4 other States are providing a mix of hot cooked meals and food-security allowance (FSA), 

• 24 States and UTs are providing FSA in various forms. 

• 24 States and UTs have prepared SOP/ Guidelines for opening of schools or functioning of MDMS. 

• 16 of the States and UTs are distributing dry rations at the schools, following the COVID 19 protocols to parents/ children.



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