The Midday Meal Scheme is the popular name for school meal programme in India which started in the 1960s. It involves provision of lunch free of working days. The key objectives of the programme are: protecting children from classroom hunger, increasing school enrollment and attendance, improved socialization among children belonging to all castes, addressing malnutrition, and social empowerment through provision of employment to women. The scheme has a long history, especially in the state of Tamil Nadu. The scheme was introduced statewide by the then Chief Minister K. Kamaraj in the 1960s and later expanded by the M. G. Ramachandran government in 1982. It has been adopted by most Indian states after a landmark direction by the Supreme Court of India on November 28, 2001. The success of this scheme is illustrated by the tremendous increase in the school participation and completion rates in Tamil Nadu.
Read more about Midday Meal Scheme: History, National Programme For Nutrition Support To Primary Education, The Supreme Court Direction, ISKCON Food Relief Foundation, Akshaya Patra and Private Sector Participation in Midday Meals, Other Aspects of The Programme, School Meal Programmes in Other Parts of The World, Scams, Criticism
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