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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | MDM scheme: 61% parents satisfied with food quality -Pranav Chaudhary

MDM scheme: 61% parents satisfied with food quality -Pranav Chaudhary

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published Published on Jan 21, 2015   modified Modified on Jan 21, 2015
-The Times of India

Patna: The midday meal (MDM) scheme has come a long way since November 2001 when the Supreme Court (in PUCL vs Union of India and others case) ordered all state governments to provide cooked midday meal to children in primary schools. Though it took Bihar nearly five years to put the midday meal programme, 61 per cent parents were satisfied with the quality of food served, according to a survey conducted in Katihar and Muzaffarpur districts of Bihar. The survey findings were released recently.

"Year after year, the MDM scheme has been making headway - kitchens were built, hand pumps were installed, the menu was improved, and reluctant upper caste parents were persuaded to shed their prejudices against dalit cooks or inter-dining," said the findings of the Public Evaluation of Entitlement Programmes (PEEP) survey which was conducted in May-June 2013 in 20 districts - two of the poorest districts in 10 states, including Bihar.

The findings of the PEEP survey, which were released
recently, said that even when parents are reluctant, children sometimes eat together behind their back.
"Even in the most deprived and remote villages of Bihar and Jharkhand, parents confirmed that their children were getting cooked meal in the local school. Further, their view of the MDM programme was generally positive - for instance, 61 per cent were 'satisfied' with the quality of the food being served. Almost all were in favour of continuation of the MDM programme. There were other signs of qualitative improvement in the MDM scheme," said the PEEP report.

The survey was initiated by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi with support from the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi, and conducted by student volunteers from Delhi and elsewhere under the leadership of noted economists Jean Dreze and Reetika Khera.

In each state, the survey focused on two of the poorest districts and covered five entitlement programmes - the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), midday meal (MDM), public distribution system (PDS), National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and social security pension.

According to the survey, most schools have a kitchen, a cook, and basic equipment. The weekly menu is usually displayed on the wall, along with the scheme's logo. The menu seems to be improving with each passing year. For instance, many states have started serving eggs once or twice in a week in the MDM programme. Jharkhand has recently joined the list of states where eggs are on the menu.

Talking to TOI, Dreze said: "Recently, we have done another survey about the implementation of National Food Security Act in four districts of Bihar, but the findings are yet to be released."


The Times of India, 18 January, 2015, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/MDM-scheme-61-parents-satisfied-with-food-quality/articleshow/45933778.cms


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