Midday Muddle: An ambitious scheme gone awry
11 years, 8 months ago

Midday Muddle: An ambitious scheme gone awry

The Hindu  

It has taken the Bihar tragedy to galvanise officials here to check the quality of food being supplied under the midday meal scheme in schools. Having got a wind of her visit, several schools took extra precaution to spruce up the premises and serve food in a clean environment. “There is no regular monitoring, and for months together no official comes to enquire about the midday meal,” a teacher said. Interestingly, the government has kept this welfare scheme in the green channel for speedy clearance of bills so that the quality does not suffer for want of money, officials say.

Food Children Quality Meo  midday  plates  muddle  awry  quality  vegetables  meal  children  schools  scheme  food  vegetable  ambitious  gone  water

History of this topic

Maharashtra move to stop funding eggs in Mid Day Meal sparks concerns
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Maharashtra move to stop funding eggs in Mid Day Meal sparks concerns

The Hindu  

The Maharashtra government’s recent decision to withdraw ₹50 crore in funding for eggs and millet-based sweet dishes in State-run schools under the Mid Day Meal Scheme has sparked criticism. An analysis of data from the State budget for 2024-25 shows that Maharashtra is estimated to spend only 0.04% of its total expenditure of ₹6.12 lakh crore on the Pradhan Mantri …

Maharashtra withdraws funding for eggs and sugar for midday meal scheme
2 months ago

Maharashtra withdraws funding for eggs and sugar for midday meal scheme

Hindustan Times  

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced it will be discontinuing funding for eggs and sugar for the midday meal programmes for its government-run schools. In November 2023, the Maharashtra government, in a bid to overcome protein deficiency among students, had introduced one egg per week for each student beneficiary of the midday meal scheme. In November 2023, the state government, …

T’gana: Panel cites low payment for ‘poor’ mid-day meal
3 months, 2 weeks ago

T’gana: Panel cites low payment for ‘poor’ mid-day meal

Hindustan Times  

Hyderabad The Telangana government, which has substantially enhanced the mess charges being paid to students of residential schools and welfare hostels by 40% since November 1 resulting in improved diet for them, has started taking measures to improve the quality of food being provided to students under the mid-day meal scheme in the state-run schools across the state, officials familiar …

Eat, pay, respect
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Eat, pay, respect

Times of India  

Midday meals really help India. The ‘honorarium’ for cooks-cum-helpers in India’s midday meal programme was fixed at Rs 1,000 per month in 2009. The crazy thing is that these 15 years have also provided prodigious evidence of how much the midday meal scheme delivers on both the health and education fronts. If they weren’t, no govt would write the bad …

Tasting Midday Meal by Teachers Becomes Mandatory
4 months ago

Tasting Midday Meal by Teachers Becomes Mandatory

Deccan Chronicle  

Nizamabad: In the wake of food poisoning cases at government welfare schools, authorities have become utmost careful with the quality of midday meals. ZPHS Gupanpally headmistress A. Shakuntala Devi said midday-meal is prepared once again if stones and worms are found in the food. During the interval, students purchase food items from outside and they may cause health problems, she …

Midday meal cooks in Andhra Pradesh get tips from chefs on dishing out tasty, nutritious food
10 months, 1 week ago

Midday meal cooks in Andhra Pradesh get tips from chefs on dishing out tasty, nutritious food

The Hindu  

Ensuring that midday meals served to children at government schools under the Jagananna Gorumudda scheme are not just nutritious but also tasty has become a focus area of the Education Department. The department has prepared instructional videos wherein the chefs explain how to dish out tasty and nutritious food items and also explain their health benefits. These videos have been …

Students happy with summer vacation midday meal programme in Karnataka, but don’t like the long trek for lunch
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Students happy with summer vacation midday meal programme in Karnataka, but don’t like the long trek for lunch

The Hindu  

The Karnataka government has extended midday meals for the summer holidays too in the 223 drought-hit taluks as a relief measure. The summer midday meal programme started on Friday and will go on till May 28 for Class 1 to 8 in government and aided schools. Speaking to The Hindu, Umesh G. Gangavadi, State president of School Development and Monitoring …

Bihar: 60 children fall sick after eating midday meal, school refutes allegations
1 year ago

Bihar: 60 children fall sick after eating midday meal, school refutes allegations

Hindustan Times  

Nearly 60 schoolchildren fell sick on Wednesday evening due to alleged food poisoning after consuming the midday meal in Bihar’s Araria, though the school administration dismissed the claims after consuming the food and in turn said that the children fell sick after attending a village feast. “Within a few minutes, over 50 children fell ill, triggering panic among villagers,” locals …

Govt School Students Suffer Amid Fluctuating Egg Prices
1 year ago

Govt School Students Suffer Amid Fluctuating Egg Prices

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: The fluctuating prices of eggs are posing a fresh challenge to government schools in the midday meal programme. In districts like Karimnagar, Nirmal, Mancherial, and Nizamabad, midday meal workers are grappling with insufficient funds and are being forced to cut back on some items. "Our budget is Rs 10 per child, but the current prices demand at least Rs …

Midday meal programme to be extended for children in drought-hit taluks during summer vacation
1 year, 2 months ago

Midday meal programme to be extended for children in drought-hit taluks during summer vacation

The Hindu  

Due to the drought situation in Karnataka, the State government has decided to extend the midday meal programme to schoolchildren in 223 drought-hit taluks during the summer vacation. The Director of ‘PM Poshan’ of the Department of School Education has instructed all Block Education Officers and Deputy Directors of Public Instruction to send the information regarding the identification of the …

No Fundamental Right To Poison Children, Can't Allow Outsourcing Of Midday Meal Kitchens: Bombay HC Orders Surprise Inspections At Malegaon Schools
2 years, 1 month ago

No Fundamental Right To Poison Children, Can't Allow Outsourcing Of Midday Meal Kitchens: Bombay HC Orders Surprise Inspections At Malegaon Schools

Live Law  

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the civic body of Malegaon city in Maharashtra to conduct surprise inspections at 27 government aided schools and ascertain if they had operational kitchens and storage rooms to provide midday meals for its students. A division bench of Justices GS Patel and Neela Gokhale was hearing the schools’ petitions seeking directions to the …

UP: Students hold teachers hostage for not receiving money distributed lieu of mid-day meal
2 years, 2 months ago

UP: Students hold teachers hostage for not receiving money distributed lieu of mid-day meal

India Today  

Students of a school in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia held all teachers and the principal hostage over non-payment of food security allowance and a video of the incident is going viral on social media. Students claimed that they were not paid the food security allowance in lieu of mid-day meals for the Covid lockdown period despite several requests. The students of …

Centre to send team to review implementation of Midday Meal scheme in Bengal
2 years, 2 months ago

Centre to send team to review implementation of Midday Meal scheme in Bengal

Hindustan Times  

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said that the central government will soon send a team to review the implementation of the midday meal scheme in different parts of West Bengal. Centre to send team to review implementation of Midday Meal scheme in Bengal "On January 5, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari laid down a petition in front of …

Centre to send team to review midday meal scheme implementation in West Bengal
2 years, 2 months ago

Centre to send team to review midday meal scheme implementation in West Bengal

India TV News  

Centre to send team to review midday meal scheme implementation in West Bengal BJP's Suvendu Adhikari had written a letter to Pradhan on January 5 urging him to send a central audit team to probe the alleged misappropriation of midday meal funds. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday that the Centre will soon despatch a team to review …

Mid-day meal scheme: what’s really being served?
2 years, 5 months ago

Mid-day meal scheme: what’s really being served?

The Hindu  

The mid-day meal scheme is considered to be one of the government’s most successful initiatives. While this has led to increased school attendance, data and social audits reveal that the food being served is sometimes unhygienic, cold, contaminated, or nutritionally inadequate. In this episode, The Hindu speaks with experts on the benefits of the mid-day meals scheme, what they’ve seen …

Andhra Pradesh: ‘Maintain buffer stocks in ration depots in Agency areas’
2 years, 9 months ago

Andhra Pradesh: ‘Maintain buffer stocks in ration depots in Agency areas’

The Hindu  

State Food Commission Chairman Ch. Vijay Prathap Reddy has directed the Civil Supplies Department officials to increase the supply of essential items to the ration depots and maintain buffer stocks in the Agency areas in the State. In a review meeting here on Friday with the officials of the the Legal Metrology, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Vigilance …

HC issues notices to TS over bad quality of midday meals
2 years, 9 months ago

HC issues notices to TS over bad quality of midday meals

Deccan Chronicle  

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court took cognisance of a news report published in these columns about substandard food being served in government schools as part of the midday meal scheme and issued notices to the Telangana government directing it to respond within four weeks, duly furnishing reasons for paltry budgetary allocation to the scheme. The High Court converted a letter …

Govt likely to revise midday meals’ daily cooking cost
2 years, 10 months ago

Govt likely to revise midday meals’ daily cooking cost

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi: The daily cost of cooking midday meals in schools across India is likely to be raised by the central government once a panel reviewing the matter submits its report, people familiar with the development said. The midday meal scheme covers at least 118 million students enroled in classes 1-8 across 1.1 million schools. In the recently held meeting …

Mid-day meals: Kids get broken rice, watery dal
2 years, 11 months ago

Mid-day meals: Kids get broken rice, watery dal

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: The state government pays Rs 4.97 per primary class student for mid-day meals and Rs 7.45 for every student in the upper primary classes and high school. Manna Trust said that it prepares the food at a centralised kitchen in the city and serves white rice and five different types of curries, one for each day of the week, …

'No Arbitrariness': Kerala High Court Upholds Lakshadweep Admin Decision To Close Dairy Farms, Modify Mid Day Meals
3 years, 6 months ago

'No Arbitrariness': Kerala High Court Upholds Lakshadweep Admin Decision To Close Dairy Farms, Modify Mid Day Meals

Live Law  

The Kerala High Court while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation assailing the reforms introduced by the new Lakshadweep Administration, reiterated that a writ court can only consider a policy matter if there was any arbitrariness, illegality or unfairness on the part of the authority while exercising the power conferred under law.Dismissing the PIL, a Division Bench of Chief Justice. …

Rajasthan: 18 students hospitalised after consuming midday meal
5 years, 1 month ago

Rajasthan: 18 students hospitalised after consuming midday meal

Op India  

On Saturday, 18 students studying at a government school in Ajmer district of Rajasthan were rushed to hospital after consuming their midday meal. Rajasthan: 17 students of a government school in Ajmer’s Arjanpura fell ill after consuming mid-day meal. pic.twitter.com/v7cSLinwM2 — ANI February 23, 2020 The children had, reportedly, consumed vegetables, roti, and milk as their midday meal. The district …

Meals that can educate the young
5 years, 3 months ago

Meals that can educate the young

The Hindu  

Two decades have passed since the mid-day meal became a part of the daily routine in government schools nationwide. The two videos made it to the national media; they also proved useful for the officers who supervise the mid-day meal scheme since they also depend on unauthorised videographers to learn about the reality in schools. Making it part of curriculum …

India reporter fears for life after exposing corruption
5 years, 6 months ago

India reporter fears for life after exposing corruption

Al Jazeera  

Concerns raised over media freedom as Pawan Kumar Jaiswal, who exposed corruption in school meal scheme, faces arrest. New Delhi, India – An Indian journalist says he and his family are living in fear after police filed criminal cases against him for exposing corruption in a school midday meal scheme in Uttar Pradesh state. Police have filed four criminal cases …

Govt schools' kids to create their own kitchen garden as a part of mid-day meal scheme in UP
5 years, 7 months ago

Govt schools' kids to create their own kitchen garden as a part of mid-day meal scheme in UP

India Today  

In a novel experiment, students of all government schools in Uttar Pradesh will now create their own kitchen garden and grow fruits and vegetables of their choice. The Ministry of Human Resource Development has issued instructions to all the government schools, up to Class 8, to include the produce from the kitchen gardens in the mid-day meal. Allocation of budget …

HRD Ministry rules out introduction of breakfast in mid-day meals scheme
5 years, 9 months ago

HRD Ministry rules out introduction of breakfast in mid-day meals scheme

India TV News  

The HRD Ministry on Thursday ruled out introduction of breakfast in the mid-day meal scheme offered by the government. The information was shared by HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' in response to a written question in Rajya Sabha on whether a plan is under consideration for introducing breakfasts in mid-day meals. As per the provisions of National Food Security Act, …

HRD Ministry rules out introduction of breakfast in mid-day meals scheme
5 years, 9 months ago

HRD Ministry rules out introduction of breakfast in mid-day meals scheme

India Today  

The HRD Ministry on Thursday ruled out introduction of breakfast in the mid-day meal scheme offered by the government. As per the provisions of National Food Security Act, 2013, children studying in classes 1 to 8 or within the age group of 6-14 years are entitled to one mid day meal free of charge, every day except on school holidays, …

Imposing a food culture
5 years, 9 months ago

Imposing a food culture

The Hindu  

THE Mid-Day Meal Scheme is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development of the Government of India. The circular states: “The NGOs that are involved in the implementation of mid-day meals scheme across the State are supplying same kind of food every day to schools, using same kind of vegetables every day and instead of using food …

Kids who eat midday meal have better reading, math test scores: Researchers
6 years, 1 month ago

Kids who eat midday meal have better reading, math test scores: Researchers

India Today  

According to researchers of Indian-origin, the primary school children who ate midday meals over an extended period were shown to have significantly better learning outcomes. Effects of India's midday meal scheme: The researchers studied the effects of India's midday meal scheme - the world's largest free school lunch programme - feeding over 120 million children every day. Better reading skills: …

Hyderabad: Schools skip eggs in midday meal
6 years, 8 months ago

Hyderabad: Schools skip eggs in midday meal

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: Including eggs in the midday meal scheme is crucial but the matter continues to be ignored in many states. Nutritionist Suma Hari K. says, “Eggs are preferred for the midday meal scheme because not only are they rich in protein but they are also comparatively inexpensive. While many schools do give bananas and milk, it still won’t have the …

MP: Mid-day meals in a soup in Agar
8 years, 4 months ago

MP: Mid-day meals in a soup in Agar

Hindustan Times  

Watery dal, half cooked chapatis and mixed-veg, which looks more like a soup than a curry are what school-age children get, albeit if they are lucky, under the mid-day meal programme at MP’s Agar Malwa district. Many children like those at the district’s Hadai middle school do not even get the “sub-standard meal” for months. But three years down the …

Haryana mothers to be involved in children mid-day meals
9 years, 2 months ago

Haryana mothers to be involved in children mid-day meals

Deccan Chronicle  

Chandigarh: Mothers of government school students in Haryana would now be involved in conducting quality check on the mid-day meals served to the children. Stating this here today, a spokesman of the Haryana Elementary Education Department said that the quality and weight of food grains used for preparing the mid-day meals should be thoroughly checked before these are lifted from …

Chandigarh govt schools yet to start preparing midday meal
9 years, 7 months ago

Chandigarh govt schools yet to start preparing midday meal

Hindustan Times  

In 2013, the UT education department had promised to set up midday meal kitchens in three city Government Schools but had failed to accomplish it. Children-being-served-the-mid-day-meal-HT-Photo Only seven government schools in the city - Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10, 15, 26, 44, 47 and Government Model High School, Sector 38 and 42 have kitchens to prepare midday meal …

72 Bihar school children fall ill after mid-day meal (Lead) - India TV News
9 years, 9 months ago

72 Bihar school children fall ill after mid-day meal (Lead) - India TV News

India TV News  

Patna : At least 72 children fell ill on Tuesday after having their mid-day meal at two government schools in Bihar, officials said. Sixty children fell ill after consuming the meal at Mathia Middle School in Bhojpur, around 60 km from Patna. In another incident, at least 12 children fell ill after having their mid-day meal at Musahar middle school …

Health commission for making mid-day meal more nutritious
10 years, 4 months ago

Health commission for making mid-day meal more nutritious

Hindustan Times  

Khichdi, a hearty meal served to children in government-run schools across the state, is set to become more nutritious with the health commission in Himachal Pradesh accentuating upon fortifying the mid-day meal. HT Image The health commission constituted by the government to review the health care services has stressed on adding micro-nutrients in the mid-day meal being served to the …

Mid-day meal deaths make Bihar village toxic for leaders
10 years, 10 months ago

Mid-day meal deaths make Bihar village toxic for leaders

Hindustan Times  

Campaigning in Bihar’s Maharajganj Lok Sabha constituency was never said to be complete without a rally on the premises of Gandaman Dharmasati Prathamik Vidyalaya. Classes are no longer held in the school where 23 children died that day after consuming poison-laced mid-day meal. Mishra, the first to lodge an FIR against teacher Meena Devi and her husband – they are …

Not posible to provide midday meal on current budget: Bihar minister
11 years, 5 months ago

Not posible to provide midday meal on current budget: Bihar minister

Firstpost  

In the backdrop of the Bihar midday meal tragedy which claimed 23 students’ lives, state Education Minister P K Sahi today suggested a review of the cost factor under the scheme, saying the existing funding pattern is grossly inadequate to ensure quality food New Delhi: In the backdrop of the Bihar midday meal tragedy which claimed 23 students’ lives, state …

Per unit cost of midday meal unrealistic: parliamentary panel
11 years, 7 months ago

Per unit cost of midday meal unrealistic: parliamentary panel

The Hindu  

The per unit cost of midday meal fixed at Rs 3.11-Rs 4.65 is unrealistic as even a bottle of drinking water costs Rs. The Committee on Empowerment of Women had recommended in the Lok Sabha that per unit cost of midday meal being served in schools should be fixed on a more realistic basis. It also urged the government to …

Midday meal horror in Bihar again: 3 children critically ill after eating food
11 years, 7 months ago

Midday meal horror in Bihar again: 3 children critically ill after eating food

Firstpost  

Twenty-two children took ill after eating midday meal in Bihar’s Vaishali district on Friday, district officials said. Patna: Twenty-two children took ill after eating midday meal in Bihar’s Vaishali district on Friday, district officials said. On July 16, 23 children died after eating contaminated midday meal at the primary school in Dharmasati Gandaman village of Bihar’s Saran district. The midday …

Children take ill after eating midday meals in Bihar school
11 years, 7 months ago

Children take ill after eating midday meals in Bihar school

The Hindu  

Nearly 70 children were taken for treatment after an unidentified tablet was found in the midday meal served in a school in Bihar’s Vaishali district on Friday. During the course of eating the meal, one child found a yellowish tablet in the plate causing an alarm. The event sparked a scare in the school and by evening 50 more children …

It's about nutrition, not numbers: How to save India's midday meal scheme
11 years, 8 months ago

It's about nutrition, not numbers: How to save India's midday meal scheme

Firstpost  

The key to realizing this scheme’s latent potential and fixing many of the quality issues is culture. A widely quoted sample study of recent midday meals served in Delhi suggests that 83 percent of the meals tested were of poor quality and did not meet prescribed nutritional standards. While it also serves as a backstop for malnourished children, ensuring they …

Students fall ill after midday meal in Bihar
11 years, 8 months ago

Students fall ill after midday meal in Bihar

The Hindu  

Altogether 150 students fell ill on Wednesday after eating midday meals at two schools in two districts of Bihar, barely a fortnight after 23 students died in Saran district from contaminated food served to them. Around 55 students of a government middle school complained of uneasiness after consuming the midday meal provided by an NGO at Kalyuga village in Jamui …

Purchase of quality materials for mid-day meal ordered
11 years, 8 months ago

Purchase of quality materials for mid-day meal ordered

India TV News  

Patna, Jul 28: Jolted by the death of 23 children in a midday meal tragedy at Chhapra, the Bihar government has made it compulsory for schools to purchase quality food items so that students get proper meals. According to new guidelines# every school has to purchase mustard and vegetable oil bearing agmark#other items bearing ISI mark, Director of Bihar Midday …

Purchase of quality materials for midday meals ordered
11 years, 8 months ago

Purchase of quality materials for midday meals ordered

The Hindu  

Jolted by the death of 23 children in a midday meal tragedy at Chhapra, the Bihar government has made it compulsory for schools to purchase quality food items so that students get proper meals. According to new guidelines, every school has to purchase mustard and vegetable oil bearing Agmark and other items bearing ISI mark, Director of Bihar Midday meal …

Bihar again: Teacher strike deprives 10 lakh students of midday meal
11 years, 8 months ago

Bihar again: Teacher strike deprives 10 lakh students of midday meal

Firstpost  

Sources in the Education department said that mid-day meal supply was disrupted for the second day in many schools in Saran, Purnia, Sheohar and Araria districts among others. Mid-day meals could not be served in over 4,600 schools affecting nearly 10 lakh students for the second consecutive day today in Bihar due to primary school teachers boycotting the duties. About …

Raju to write to MPs for support on mid-day meal scheme
11 years, 8 months ago

Raju to write to MPs for support on mid-day meal scheme

India TV News  

New Delhi, Jul 24: With a string of incidents putting a question mark on mid-day meal scheme, HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju today said he would write to all MPs for their support for its effective implementation and maintaining quality of food. Talking to reporters here, he said as the MPs are also members of the vigilance monitoring committee …

Will ask states for support to ensure midday meal food quality: HRD minister
11 years, 8 months ago

Will ask states for support to ensure midday meal food quality: HRD minister

Firstpost  

With a string of incidents putting a question mark on mid-day meal scheme, HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju today said he would write to all MPs for their support for its effective implementation and maintaining quality of food New Delhi: With a string of incidents putting a question mark on mid-day meal scheme, HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju …

Bihar mid-day meal: Three lakh teachers to boycott the scheme
11 years, 8 months ago

Bihar mid-day meal: Three lakh teachers to boycott the scheme

India TV News  

Patna, July 24: Three lakh school teachers in Bihar have decided to boycott the mid-day meal scheme from July 25 to get rid of non-academic work. "It was unanimously decided at a meeting of the Bihar State Primary Teachers' Association to boycott the scheme," its president, Barajnandan Sharma, told IANS. "He said that it is a well-known fact that teachers …

Midday meal safety norms to be painted on walls of schools
11 years, 8 months ago

Midday meal safety norms to be painted on walls of schools

India TV News  

Patna, July 22: Facing the ire of people over the midday meal tragedy, the Bihar government plans to provide printed instructions to school principals about food quality and safety besides painting the norms on the schools walls. “We are readying detailed instructions about maintaining quality and safety of food served under midday meal scheme in schools,” Director Midday Meal Scheme, …

Midday meal safety norms to be painted on walls of schools
11 years, 8 months ago

Midday meal safety norms to be painted on walls of schools

The Hindu  

Facing the ire of people over the midday meal tragedy, the Bihar government plans to provide printed instructions to school principals about food quality and safety besides painting the norms on the schools walls. “We are readying detailed instructions about maintaining quality and safety of food served under midday meal scheme in schools,” Director Midday Meal Scheme, R. Lakshmanan told …

Midday meal tragedy: Principal's property to be attached
11 years, 8 months ago

Midday meal tragedy: Principal's property to be attached

Firstpost  

The Bihar government will attach the property of Meena Devi, absconding principal of the government primary school in Saran district where 23 children died after eating contaminated food, an official said. Patna: The Bihar government will attach the property of Meena Devi, absconding principal of the government primary school in Saran district where 23 children died after eating contaminated food, …

Discover Related