MID
DAY MEAL SCHEME - GOVERNMENT SCHEME
News:
Central team starts
review of mid-day meal scheme implementation in Bengal
What's
in the news?
●
Amidst the ongoing controversy over
irregularities in the mid-day meal scheme in West Bengal, a team of the Union Government
arrived in the State to look into the scheme’s implementation.
●
A 13-member team, which includes officials
from the Union Education Ministry and PM Poshan Scheme, and members of NGOs
visited a school in the State’s North 24 Parganas district.
MID
DAY MEAL SCHEME:
●
It is the world's largest school feeding programme of its kind, serving
students in government schools from Classes
1 to 8.
●
The primary goal of this scheme is to enhance school enrolment.
Aim:
●
To avoid
classroom hunger.
●
To increase school enrolment.
●
To increase school attendance.
●
To improve socialisation among castes.
●
To address malnutrition.
●
To empower women through employment.
Nodal
Ministry:
Ministry
of Education.
Objective:
●
To enhance, retention and attendance and
simultaneously improving nutritional levels among children.
Features:
●
It is a centrally sponsored scheme.
●
Scheme covers all children studying in
class I to VIII.
●
Legal
Entitlement: The National
Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013 makes it a legal entitlement for all
school-going children in primary and upper primary classes.
●
The schools procure AGMARK quality items
for preparation of midday meals and 3 adult members need to taste the food
first.
Coverage:
●
The programme supplies free lunches on
working days for children in primary and upper primary classes in government,
government aided, local body, Education Guarantee Scheme, and alternate
innovative education centres, Madarsa and Maqtabs supported under SSA and
National Child Labour Project schools run by the Ministry of Labour.
Nutrient
Supplement:
●
For Primary
students:
○
Calories 450
○
Protein 12 gms
●
For Upper
Primary students:
○
Calories 700
○
Protein 20 gms
●
Adequate quantities of micro-nutrients like Iron, Folic Acid
and Vitamin-A.