A mid-day meal (MDM) program, now known as PM POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman), provides free, nutritious hot lunches to children in government and government-aided schools in India to boost nutrition, school attendance, and retention, addressing hunger and improving educational outcomes, covering millions of students across primary and upper primary levels.
Key Aspects:
Objective: Improve nutrition, encourage enrollment, and increase attendance by ensuring at least one wholesome meal daily.
Coverage: Extends to all elementary classes in government/aided schools, including pre-primary (Balvatikas).
Implementation: A central government scheme, it provides cooked meals on school days.
History: Started in Madras in 1925, universalized by some states by the 1980s, and mandated nationwide by the Supreme Court in 2001.
Scale: One of the world’s largest school feeding programs, serving over 118 million children.
Current Name: Rebranded from the Mid-Day Meal Scheme to PM POSHAN.
Benefits:
Nutritional Support: Provides essential nutrients for growth and development.
Educational Boost: Reduces hunger, making it easier for children to focus and attend school.
Social Equity: Helps poor families by providing food security for their children.