Efficacy of Mid-Day Meal Scheme in India: Challenges and Policy Concerns

Global Initiatives

At the global level, school lunch programme was introduced earlier than in India. It was first started by Benjamin Thompson in Munich, Germany, in the year 1790. He had initiated a combined programme of teaching and feeding hungry pupils in his ‘Poor People’s Institute’ and provided clothes and food to unemployed adults in exchange for work. Education and food for part-time work was provided to the children. In 1865, Victor Hugo of Guernsey, France, initiated hot meals for children in habitation schools. By the late 1890s, about 293 cities in Europe had initiated the programme in their respective schools (Pellissery et al., 2016). The British Parliament had passed an Education Act related to the provision of school noon meals in the year 1905, and it was considered to be the responsibility of the state. Gradually the school lunch programme was initiated in various countries of the world such as in the United Kingdom in 1945, followed by Switzerland and the USA in 1946, Japan in 1947, Australia in 1950, in China during 1964, Indonesia in 1967, Thailand in 1970, Korea in 1973 and Singapore in 1975 (Si & Sharma, 2008). The scenario of implementing school meal programmes across the globe indicates the growing social consciousness for the healthy development of the children as a welfare measure.

Indian Scenario

Realising the importance of healthy human resources for faster economic and social development, the policymakers in India thought of a new reform in primary education. Relevant education in a safe place ensuring adequate nutrition can facilitate achieving the goal of universalisation of elementary education (UEE). The National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education was launched as a centrally sponsored scheme on 15 August 1995 to accomplish quality education, higher enrolment, retention, better attendance and improved nutrition among the school-going children. The MDMS, earlier managed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and at present by the Ministry of Education, is the world’s largest school meal programme, serving hot cooked meals to the underprivileged children.

In India, the school lunch programme was introduced by some of the states earlier than it became a Centrally sponsored scheme. The first such initiative was taken by Madras Corporation in South India in 1923. During that time, the Madras Corporation served cooked meals to the poor students only within the city. It was introduced in Kerala in 1941, and, after the colonial rule, the school lunch programme was extended to some other states with the help of international agencies such as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. By the mid-1980s, three Indian states, namely Gujarat, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and the Union Territory (UT) of Pondicherry made serious efforts to universalise the cooked mid-day meal programme with their own resources for children studying at primary level. To remove classroom hunger and to involve children in the learning process, the school lunch programme was also introduced in some tribal-dominated states (states having a larger population of indigenous people) of India such as Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. By the year 1991, the number of states implementing the scheme with their own resources had increased to twelve.

The programme ensured to provide free cooked meals to all the children of primary and upper primary classes studying in government and government-aided schools throughout the country. The programme was initially introduced at the primary stage in 2,408 blocks, and it included all the blocks of the country by 1998. In the year 2002, the scheme covered children studying under Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and Alternative and Innovative Education (AIE) Scheme. At that time, the central assistance under the scheme consisted of a free supply of foodgrains at 100 grams per child, per school day and no cooked food was distributed. In 2004, the scheme was revised, and there was a provision to provide cooked meal with 300 calories and 8–12 grams of protein to all children studying in Standard I–V in government and government-aided schools as well as in EGS or AIE centres. But later, it was felt that the Central assistance under the scheme was not adequate. Consequently, in 2006, the scheme was again revised with raised assistance for the cooking cost. In 2007, the scheme was extended to upper primary classes (Classes VI–VIII), and initially it was introduced in 3,479 Educationally Backward Blocks. In 2008, the scheme included all the children studying in Madrasas/Maktabs (schools set up by Islamic religion) which may not be registered or recognised but were supported under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). During 2008–2010, the scheme was revised several times for central assistance. In November 2010, the GoI ordered all the states and UTs to set up steering-cum-monitoring committees at the state, district and block levels to oversee the MDMS. According to MDMS Guidelines 2006, the responsibility of providing meals in school was assigned to local women/members of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), local-level elected representatives from rural and urban areas and members of local youth clubs associated with voluntary organisations and Nehru Yuva Kendras. However, in urban areas, schools under resource and space constraints faced difficulties to set up school kitchens. Hence, through the guideline, it was instructed to the schools to set up a centralised kitchen where cooking takes place for a huge number of students together for a cluster of schools and is transported to different areas. In 2011, after the appeal from the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the GoI directed all the states and UTs to provide mid-day meals to the children of National Child Labour Project schools as per the norm.

From the year 2013 onwards, the main focus under the scheme extended to the quality, safety and hygiene, and, for its effective implementation, some guidelines were formulated. The Central government notified Mid-Day Meal Scheme Rules, on 30 September 2015. According to these rules, every child who is within the age group of 6–14 years and studying in Classes I–VIII shall be provided a hot cooked meal. The nutritional standard includes 450 calories and 12 grams of protein for primary class (I–V) and 700 calories and 20 grams of protein for upper primary classes (VI–VIII). The school shall ensure the quality and hygienic of food for which School Management Committees (SMCs) are assigned to monitor overall activities of MDMS. The guidelines also provide that the hot cooked meal served to children shall be tested and certified by the Government Food Research Laboratory. On 16 May 2017, the government revised earlier guidelines for engagement of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in MDMS and framed new guidelines on the constitution of a committee for prerequisites of selection, responsibilities of the implementing authorities and responsibilities of the state government. To encourage the involvement of the local community, GoI initiated a noble step as Tithi Bhojan (food served on special occasions) and notified guidelines on 26 October 2018 for its smooth implementation. The concept of Tithi Bhojan was first initiated by the state Government of Gujarat. It is a traditional practice where a large number of people donate cooked food to school children on special occasions such as birthday/marriage anniversaries and local festivals. It is not a substitute for MDMS, but it supplemented to the meals served at schools and facilitated community solidarity.

Removal of Classroom Hunger

Poverty, hunger and malnourishment are considered to be the main obstacles to obtain quality education. MDMS increases enrolment, reduces classroom hunger and bridges social inequality (Sinha, 2008). In case of a poor family, the school lunch may be a substitute rather than a supplement to the home meal. It is an important means to fight hunger and improve the learning process (Mirajkar & Narayanaswami, 2019). Hence, execution of MDMS is of prime importance in a country like India, which confronts several such challenges.

Improvement in Health and Nutritional Status

The benefit of MDMS is not limited to the enrolment and attendance of children only. Scholars from different parts of the world have noted that poor diet and nutrition are the sole cause of chronic diseases and disability among children (Dey & Nath, 2017; James et al., 2004). Studies have also reflected that introduction of MDMS has improved the nutritional status of children (Minj et al., 2014). A generally high rate of dropout and malnourishment is found among the disadvantaged children in India. A study conducted in Rajasthan has revealed that children from Scheduled Tribes (STs) background consume better quality as well as more quantity of food in school-on-school days than during holidays at home (Garg & Mandal, 2013). Such evidences indicate not only the effectiveness of the school lunch programme concerning healthier nutrition among the children but also promotes effective socialisation among children to adopt some good practices. It helps in encouraging hygiene, cleanliness and provides nutrition education among children (Khera, 2006). They become aware of the importance of a balanced diet and good hygiene from the school lunch programme (Kales, 2014; Sangai, 2016). Good practices such as washing hands before taking the meals, cutting nails regularly, maintaining cleanliness of school atmosphere and so on are learnt and practiced through the MDM programme.

Enrolment, Attendance and Promotion of Social Integration

The MDMS has been instrumental in bringing the children together irrespective of their classes, castes and gender backgrounds to a common place and promotes social integration (Agnihotri, 2010). The poor socio-economic background of the parents has an impact on the dropout and school enrolment rates (Si & Sharma, 2008). The MDMS has positive impacts on the enrolment of disadvantaged children in elementary schools. Parents of the children studying in elementary schools often admit that they are also sending their children for a free meal. The school lunch programme is being considered as a subsidy for the schooling cost, particularly for the poor parents. It has also been noticed that, along with the school-going children, most of the parents are sending their younger children to pre-school centres. This trend has given a boost to school-readiness. Empirical studies have revealed that enrolment of the children belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) has increased significantly (Garg & Mandal, 2013; Mallik et al., 2018). In the Indian society, many parents consider their sons as bread-earners and daughters as economic burden; hence, they like to invest more on their male children to get a return. Because of such patriarchal ideology, there is a huge gap in literacy rate among girls and boys. But MDMS intervention has proved to promote girls’ education and increased their enrolment and attendance (Afridi, 2011; Dreze & Kingdon, 2000; Jayaraman & Dora, 2011).

Support to Local Economy

About two-thirds of India’s population live in rural areas, and many of them are in absolute poverty. About 64% of rural employment is in the agriculture sector, and the share of agriculture in rural production is 39% (Sinha, 2018). Particularly in rural areas, people grow vegetables and fruits in their gardens and sell these in local markets. The MDMS has provided an opportunity for earning a livelihood to the local farmers and vegetable vendors. Some of the Indian states such as Karnataka and Telangana have begun integrating millets into the MDM scheme. The scheme in these states is currently being implemented on a pilot project basis by one charitable organisation called Akshaya Patra Foundation. The foundation provides food through the centralised kitchen system, and this is being executed in several states. The millets are rich in nutrients, minerals, vitamins and organic compounds which boost human health (Babu, 2018). Such initiatives can result in increased demand for other crops and increase the profitability of local farmers.

Employment Opportunities for Under-Privileged Women

The MDMS not only removes the classroom hunger but also creates employment opportunities for helpless widows and poor women (Dreze, 2004). The scheme has facilitated rural women to be economically independent. In rural areas, women hardly get a job other than agricultural activities. Through such job opportunities, the social and economic status of some rural women has been enhanced to some extent.

Quality and Quantity of Food

The health status of the children at the elementary level is determined by the quality and quantity of foods served in schools. The quality of food to be served in the school lunch programme depends on the active participation of the members of SMCs and the monitoring of MDM authority (Paltasingh, 2014). Hence SMCs must ensure proper quantity and good quality of food being served. SMCs play a very crucial role in ensuring 100% attendance in MDM (Ramachandran & Naorem, 2013). Due to the carelessness of the MDM staff and the apathetic attitude of school administrators, many tragedies are being observed in SMCs which have made headlines. For instance, Bihar has witnessed one of the terrible incidents which cannot be forgotten where 23 children died. The incident had taken place in Gandaman Primary School in Saran district, Bihar. According to the sources, 23 children died after eating the mid-day meal on 16 July 2013; and because of this incident, about 150 boys and girls from Standard 1–5 did not have a school meal for almost a month. Such a tragic incident happened because of the unhygienic cooking practice and contaminated water (Singh, 2015). In Uttar Pradesh, two students died and 15 were hospitalised due to food poisoning (Xinhua, 2016). The safety of the students needs to be given topmost importance, and cooking process needs to be strictly monitored. In Indian schools, there is no provision of any training for a healthy and hygienic way of food preparation to the stakeholders of MDMS. In some schools, teachers taste the quality of food before distributing them to the students (Chand & Kuril, 2018). The SMCs that constitute the representation of the local community are expected to be involved actively in the school lunch programme and to take ownership to ensure the quality and quantity of food.

Children are the prime stakeholders of the MDM programme. They can understand better about the quality and quantity of food served through MDM. Hence, the programme should have a student feedback system in every school. Generally, it is observed that students hesitate to report the mismanagement of the MDM programme to the school authority because of fear. If a box is kept in school for students’ feedback ensuring the anonymity, they can write their frank and honest opinions on a piece of paper in the box. Based on feedback received, the changes can be made as per the requirements.

Focus on Health and Nutrition

Though the MDM programme has been successful to some extent, India still lags behind in terms of the provision of adequate nutrition to the children. According to the Global Nutrition Report 2018, India tops the list of countries followed by Nigeria and Pakistan with 46.6 million children who are undernourished (Upadhyaya & Bisla, 2019). The MDM does not meet the daily nutrient guidelines as per the school lunch programme (Mansoor & Rawoof, 2018). During 2012–2013, about 90% of school meals served to primary school students in Delhi did not meet the energy and protein norms and affected the health of the children. According to the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey Report, the diet of school-going children is highly deficient. The survey revealed that 20% of the children who were between 5–9 years of age were low in height as per their age and 23% were thin (Low Body Mass Index for age). About 24% of adolescent children (age 10–14) were thin, and this prevalence of stunting was higher among those who were out of school (Rukmini, 2019). Hence, the concerned authority should ensure that children must consume nutritious food. Regular health check-ups of children should be organised in schools and the report should be shared among the parents.

Unhealthy eating is an important cause of emerging health issues. Nutrition education plays an important role in training children towards healthy and dietary behaviours. Researchers have noted that most urban adolescents in India consume nutritionally deficient diets (Kotecha et al., 2013; Rathi et al., 2017). Globally schools have been playing a significant role in promoting physical and psychological wellbeing as well as the social and academic development of young children. However, Indian schools need to promote healthy eating practices among students (Mehan et al., 2012). Health education can be included in the school syllabus which can encourage to avail locally available fruits, vegetables and food items with nutritional components.

Improvement of Infrastructure

In some of the schools, teachers and MDM staff are yet to be aware of MDM guidelines. Some of the schools in the country do not have kitchen sheds, adequate utensils and appropriate place for serving lunch. In some other schools, teachers think that the distribution of MDM is the responsibility of MDM staff only and they do not cooperate with them which leads to low motivation among the beneficiaries (Nambiar & Desai, 2012; Robinson, 2007; Verma & Biswas, 2009). MDM authority should ensure adequate infrastructure including kitchen-cum-storerooms, safe drinking water, sufficient number of utensils for cooking and serving and water tanks to wash utensils in every school.

Shortage of Fund

MDMS remains to be one of the crucial welfare schemes of the government. However, insufficient funds continue to be a challenge. With a limited fund, providing quality food to a large group of students has become a difficult task. The prices of daily consumables are increasing day by day and it is difficult to manage quality ingredients on a low budget. In some schools, MDM staff are compelled to show higher attendance to project per child consumption costs because of the shortage of funds. Moreover, in many schools, pre-school children attend mid-day meals and, in this case, neither teachers nor the SMC members can refuse (Sinha, 2008).

As per the sources from the Ministry of Education, about 11.59 crore children are registered under the MDMS. The allocation of funds under the scheme for the financial years 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 was ₹13,215 crore. Subsequently from the year 2015–2016 onwards, the allocation has been drastically reduced to ₹9,236.40 crore only. After this downward trend, the budget allocation has been increased and, for the financial year 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, ₹11,000 crore was assigned with an additional amount of ₹500 crore for the following year. But this budget provision is much less compared to the year 2013–2014 (Ahuja, 2021). Insufficient fund leads to poor quality and inadequate quantity of food. Along with this, the fund allocation for each school needs to be monitored both at the district and school levels for effective utilisation of monetary provision.

Irregular Payment

In rural areas, there are only a few job opportunities available for women as compared to urban areas. Due to their large family size and economic backwardness, they are in financial need most of the time. But in many schools, they are not paid in time because of the delay in reimbursement (Sinha, 2008). Consequently, they work without much interest which affects the quality and quantity of food. Timely payments to the MDM staff needs to be given prime importance.

Caste Issues

To bring social equity, the Supreme Court of India notified all the states on 20 April 2004 that preference should be given to a woman member of SCs and STs background in appointing cook for MDM. But it has been observed that caste prejudices are still prevalent in rural areas (Pellissery et al., 2016). In most of the schools in rural areas, cooks from higher castes are being appointed because of the pressure from the villagers. In such instances, the SMCs are inactive as they have no power to go against the will of the villagers from higher caste groups. It has also been noticed that if a lower caste cook prepares and serves food, most of the children of higher caste groups do not attend mid-day meal due to the pressure from the parents.

Centralised Kitchen

In India, the catering services of the MDM programme vary across the country. As per the guidelines of MDM, there are provisions for both centralised and school-based kitchens depending on the locality and availability of infrastructure. A centralised kitchen refers to a place where food for children of some cluster schools is cooked in one place and sent to the concerned schools by vehicles to serve during school lunchtime. The catering service managed by NGOs and CSOs is monitored by the government with a screening procedure. It is a very good provision to make available food in the schools lacking infrastructure for kitchen. Despite the committed services of a few organisations, food provided through such kitchens may not be always satisfactory as per the expectation. Despite some success stories of provision of food through centralised kitchen, it is being noticed that there is a huge gap in the timing between the preparations of food and serving. Due to this, many schools are receiving spoiled food which may affect the health of the children. A study conducted in Uttar Pradesh has revealed that children are more satisfied with the school-based kitchen as compared to the centralised kitchen. The main reasons were reported that the school kitchen reduces waiting time and fresh food is served with a sense of belongingness (Ali & Akbar, 2015). While initiating centralised kitchen system, the distance of the schools from the kitchen and transport communication facility needs to be taken into consideration.

Social Audit

Social audit is a way of measuring, understanding and improving the social and ethical performance of an organisation or a programme. It helps to bridge the gaps between vision and reality and promote accountability and transparency. In recent times, it has earned immense popularity across the globe. Particularly, it is being used widely by CSOs and NGOs. So far as MDMS are concerned, they have great significance. It helps the implementing authorities to know whether the programme is functioning as per the RTE Act norms or not. Consequently, it has become an important instrument in school improvement. A study conducted in Andhra Pradesh has noted that involvement of the community in social audit has led to many positive changes such as changing of cook, shifting of rice and pulses from cook’s house to school, the provision of plates and utensils and arrangement of water facility in the required places. One of the most interesting findings of the social audit was that all the schools could serve hot cooked meals regularly. After the Report was presented in Gram Sabha [village assembly] such decisions were taken (Sinha, 2008). The social and ethical aspects of the MDM programme can be monitored through a village-level social audit team. The social audit team would visit periodically and give an observation report on making the programme improved.