The Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), a government initiative, provides free, nutritious meals to children in government and government-aided schools, aiming to improve their nutritional status and encourage school attendance.
Here’s a more detailed:
Purpose: The MDMS aims to address hunger, malnutrition, and low school attendance among children.
Coverage: The scheme covers children in classes I to VIII in government, government-aided schools, Special Training Centers, Madarasas, and Maktabs supported under Samagra Shiksha.
Implementation: The scheme is implemented through a network of cook-cum-helpers who prepare and serve the meals.
Nutritional Content: The meals are designed to provide a minimum of 300 calories of energy and 8-12 grams of protein per day.
Monitoring: There is a detailed monitoring mechanism at the school, block, district, state, and national levels to ensure effective implementation.
History: The National Programmed of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE) was launched on 15th August, 1995 and was renamed as ‘National Programmed of Mid-Day Meal in Schools’ in 2008-09.