Mid-day meal scheme to reactivate with schools reopening nationwide

The collaborative response India undertook to try and ensure that the pandemic-enforced lockdowns did not disrupt the nutrition of the school children is praiseworthy

The UN World Food Programme India has said as the schools reopen, the mid-day meal scheme will also need to be reactivated with the provision of hot, cooked meals. The UN’s WFP country director Bishow Parajuli said that with existing food safety nets, India offers a shining example to the world. The collaborative response India undertook to try and ensure that the pandemic-enforced lockdowns did not disrupt the nutrition of the school children is praiseworthy.

Schools across the nation were closed in March last year to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. Some states partially reopened them on October 15.

Providing close to 10 crore school children with hot, cooked meals, Parajuli called the mid-day meal scheme 1 of the 3 main food-based safety nets in India. He said the schools had to be closed across the country in response to the lockdown, but to make sure the scheme stays, the Centre, states and Union territories issued regulations to provide the MDM entitlement to kids in kind or cash or both.

Ashwin Bhadri, CEO of Equinox Labs, says, “The MDM scheme provides much-needed support and lifeline for millions of school children in the nation and has a consequential impact on children’s daily diet.”

Bhadri continues, “Reactivation of the scheme, in my opinion, would be an excellent way to help the schools prepare for re-opening with uber focus on food safety, health and hygiene.”