Mid Day Meal Program Challenges During Covid 19

 Covid-19 has impacted almost every sector, whether it’s education or industrial. During the lockdown, all the schools across India have been closed which automatically stopped the benefits of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme to the 6 to 14-year-old underprivileged children. Considering the statistics, over 90% of the world's student population has been affected by school closures caused by COVID-19. In India, the students who rely on a mid-day meal scheme for their one-time nutritious intake, probably suffer the most. Many are stuck in their home without enough food. The parents who are into labor work are jobless.


Unlike other students, kids coming from poor families make school meal programs more than a place to attain education. This is why the Government offers a number of facilities to these students so that they can focus on education, keeping all the other negative aspects aside. The Mid-day meal scheme is also a part of this whole program. By providing meals to students, the Government is trying to tackle the problem of nutrition deficiency too. But with the closure of schools, it becomes difficult to regulate the general guidelines of the MDM Scheme. To manage this, there is a need to find innovative solutions to reach out to school-aged children who rely on these services, now more than ever.

How Has India’s Mid-Day Meal Scheme Responded To The Pandemic?

Talking about the execution, the MDM scheme is regulated at the State and Local Government Levels in India. By following a decentralised strategy, you can gain the benefits like fast decision-making and adaptability during crises. As India is a country with a huge population and most states and substantial regional support for different types of cultures and food, it becomes easy to handle.

To make the whole process smooth for the children, the central government issued directives to the states and UTs to continue delivering the MDM entitlement to students during the lockdown time. The best part is this was carried forward in the summer vacations too. The Government knows the importance of MDM to India's impoverished children. As a result, it makes sure that the MDM should be provided to eligible children's families through home delivery or cash transfers during COVID-19. That is another thing to check the regularity of the same. To guarantee that children continue to get their meals, several states updated their Mid-Day Meal programmes.

Meal Plan For The Middle Of The Day — There Is Still Room For Improvement

The COVID-19 epidemic has posed a number of food and nutrition difficulties in front of the government. The pandemic time gives a good opportunity to find out whether MDM helps to improve nutrition security or not. As per the official guidelines of the Government, the primary wing students should receive 450 kcal and 12 g protein and for older students, the figures are 700 kcal and 20 g protein. The kind of food served varies by school and day, but it often includes a substantial piece of a staple like rice or wheat (mainly) and a minor part of pulses.

To give a glimpse of goodness, a small portion of seasonally available vegetables is sometimes offered. In ten states of India, a boiled egg is served weekly or daily. To maintain the regularity and quality of food, the Government has collaborated with some NGOs and nonprofits.

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