MID DAY MEAL
Source: indianexpress
Context:
Recently Karnataka govt decided to introduce eggs in the state’s mid-day meal scheme, but it turned out to be controversial, few sects are opposing the introduction of eggs and meat in the mid-day meals.
About the mid-day meals scheme:
- The first initiative to provide mid-day meals to children had been made by the erstwhile madras municipal corporation around 1920.
- In post-independence India again Tamilnadu was the pioneer, with CM Kamaraj rolling out an initiative in December 1984, making Kerala the second state to have school lunch in the country.
- Over the next few years, many states launched their own version of the scheme, finally, in 1995, the centre stepped in.
- On August 15, 1995, it was launched as a centrally sponsored scheme across 2,408 blocks for students up to class 5.
- In 2007 it was extended up to class 8, now it's renamed PM Poshan or PM Poshan Shakthi Nirman.
The scale of the scheme
- With the National Food Security Act(NFSA),2013 this scheme has become a legal entitlement for all school-going children in primary and upper primary classes, and with the supreme court’s ruling in people’s union of liberties vs Union of India and others (2001).
- Now the scheme covers 11.80 crore children across classes 1to8 (age group 6to 14) in 11.20 lakh govt schools and government-aided schools and those run by local bodies such as municipal corporations in Delhi under the provisions of NFSA,2013.
- In the budget 2022-23 centre has spent Rs 10,233 crores and states are about to spend 6,277 crores.
Menu:
- The menu varies from one state and UTto another, but the authorities need to ensure that the nutritional component of meals should be made up of rice, pulses, vegetable, oil and fat to provide at least 450calories and 12gm protein to children in primary grades and above grades should be provided with 700calories and 20gm protein.
- The variations in the additional items are such as milk, eggs,chikki or fruits that the state provides as supplementary nutrition, the expenses which are borne by the state government.
- Variations in Supplementary Nutrition: for instance, eggs and bananas to vegetables are provided by only 13 states and 3 UTs.
- Tamilnadu provides egg on all working days, Andhra Pradesh provide egg at least five days a week and Telangana and Andaman and Nicobar islands provide thrice a week states like Jharkhand, Odisha, Tripura, Puducherry provide twice a week; Bihar, Kerala, Mizoram, Uttarkhand, West Bengal, Ladakh and Assam once in every week, and Sikkim once a month, according to government response in parliament and annual work plan and budget documents of the scheme.
- Some states and UTs like Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhyapradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Uttarkhand, Ladakh and Puducherry provide milk and among other food items, west Bengal provides cheese and mushrooms on a limited scale.
Why are eggs part of the menu in so few states and UTs:
- In some states, the egg is a part of mid-day meals and in some parts, it's not because of many reasons like in some states such as Arunachal Pradesh, which find it costly but dietary choices are intensely contested area in India due to caste rigidness, religious conservatism, and regional differences. Thus, the debate becomes political too.
- Despite scientific studies, including those commissioned by state governments, showing the benefits of children giving eggs many states have been reluctant to about adding to the school lunch menu.
Share of Centre and state:
- Under the rules, allocation of rs 4.97(primary class )and rs 7.45(upper primary) are shared in 60:40 by the centre and states and UTs with the legislature and in the case of northeastern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand it is 90:10 and its bore 100% by the centre in case of UTs without legislature.
- But the states and UTs that supplement the meals with additional items such as eggs, and milk contribute more. Components such as payments to cook and workers are also split in the same ratio between centre and states.
- However, the centre bears the entire cost of food grains and their transportation. And also handles the expenditure on management, monitoring and evaluation of the scheme.
