--> -->

Mid-Day Meal Scheme

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

The National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education, popularly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, was launched on 15 August 1995.

The objective of the programme is to give a boost to universalisation of primary education by increasing enrollment, attendance and retention, and also improving nutritional status of children in primary classes studying in Government, Local Body and Government aided schools.

From October 2002, the programme has been extended to children studying in education guarantee scheme and other alternative and innovative education learning centres also.

Under the scheme central assistance is provided to states for the following:
a. 100 grams of foodgrains per child per school day where there is a meal programme, alternatively three kg per child per months for 10 months, and

b. Admissible transport subsidy for transport of foodgrains from the nearest FCI depot to the school subject to a ceiling of Rs. 50 per quintal.

Cost of converting foodgrains into cooked meal is expected to be borne under the present programme by state government/local bodies.

Apart from this states have been permitted to meet certain other requirements of Mid-Day meal programme from various other centrally assisted schemes, as follows

1. To partially alleviate state governments resource constraint in providing cooked meal, 15 percent of additional central assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojna has been earmarked by the planning commission from 2004-05 for meeting cooking cost.

2. States have been permitted to construct kitchen shed in existing rural schools from funds available under Sampurna Gramin Rozgar Yojna, and for existing urban schools from those available under National Slum Development Programme (NSDP) ad Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP) component of Swarna Jayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojana .

In other urban areas construction of kitchen sheds in existing schools has been permitted under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Besides, construction of kitchen sheds has also been permitted as part of all new schools buildings built under sarva shiksha abhiyan.

3. States have been allowed to spend a part of annual school grant of Rs. 2,000 per annum per school give under sarva shiksha abhiyan for purchase of cooking utensils.

States have been advised to utilize service of women’s Self Help Groups for cooking purpose as much as possible, in the interest of quality.

The cooked Mid-Day Meal Programme is fully under implementation in more than all states and all UTs. Eight states where the programme to being implemented partially have also decide to universalize the MDM programme forthwith.

Share This

Popularity: 27% [?]

Tags: children education, education program, food supply, mid day meal scheme, primary education