The Planning Commission has decided that from the financial year 2004-05 at least 15% of Additional Central Assistance under Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY) shall be earmarked and utilised for meeting the cost of cooking the mid-day meal. With this decision, about Rs. 415 crore would be available to states for meeting cooking cost of mid-day meal for children of rural areas (based on the total allocation under PMGY for the current financial year).
Under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Central Government provides foodgrains (rice/wheat) free of cost to States and also reimburses transportation charges. States are expected to mobilize resources for cooking the mid-day meal. Many States have faced difficulties in this due to financial stringency. The present step by the Planning Commission is to help the states in cooking the mid-day meal in a big way.
Backgrounder
The National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education, which is popularly known as the Mid-day Meal (MDM) scheme, was formally launched on the 15th August, 1995. The objective of the programme is to give a boost to universalisation of primary education by increasing enrolment, attendance and retention, and simultaneously improving nutritional status of children in primary classes studying in Government, Local Body and Government-aided schools. From October 2002, the programme has been extended to children studying in Education Guarantee Scheme and other alternative learning centres also.
The programme aims to provide cooked meal to children through local implementing agencies. Food-grains (wheat and rice) are provided free of cost by Central Government at the rate of 100 grams per child per school day where cooked meals are served, and 3 kgs. Per student per month where food-grain is being distributed.
Cost of transportation is also reimbursed to District Authorities/State Agencies for movement of foodgrains from the nearest FCI godown to the schools subject to a maximum of Rs. 50 per quintal.
Year-wise number of children covered quantity of foodgrains allocated and lifted, and expenditure incurred under the programme are given below:
Year | No. of children covered (in crore | Quanity of (In | food grains MTs) | Expenditure incurred (Rs. in crore) |
Allocated | Lifted | |||
1995-96 | 3.34 | 713223 | 536016 | 441.21 |
1996-97 | 5.57 | 15835388 | 1112489 | 800.00 |
1997-98 | 9.10 | 2567372 | 1810164 | 1070.38 |
1998-99 | 9.79 | 2706274 | 1147917 | 1600.15 |
1999-2000 | 9.90 | 2767251 | 1401765 | 1500.00 |
2000-2001 | 10.54 | 2480692 | 1517816 | 1299.00 |
2001-2002 | 10.35 | 2862475 | 2076764 | 1030.27 |
2003-2004 | 10.36 | 2837467 | 2176830 | 1099.03 |
2004-2005 | 10.56 | 2684067 | 1127270 (upto October, 2003) | 1165.36 (upto 8.1.2004 |
Presently, 29 states/Uts are providing cooked meals to about 5.74 crore children accounting 54.3% of the total target group of 10.56 crore children. According to available informatio, 14 states and 5 Uts namely, Andhra pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Keralal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttranchal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra & nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Pondicherry & Chandigarh are providing cooked meal across the respective States/Uts, while it is being provided partially in Bihar (2579 schools), Haryana (6 blocks), Gimachal Pradesh (3 tribal districts, Goa (3 blocks), Jharkhand (200 schools), Meghayala (12 districts), Orissa(157 tribal blocks), Punjab(17 blocks), West Bengal (6000 schools) and Delhi (1924 schools), UT of Lakshadweep is running its own MDM programme.
In karnataka, 20 NGOs, including ISKON, are serving cooked meals to about 1.16 lakh children studying in 670 schools under overall supervision of the State Government. In addition, ISKCON also covers over 26,000 students of nursery, upper primary and secondary level of Bangalore Rural District. Recently a model for public-private partnership has evolved in Hyderabad where the Nandi Foundation manages a central kitchen to provide cooked meals to about 2 lakh children in Hyderabad.
States have been permitted to construct kitchen shed in rural schools from funds available under Sampurna Gramin Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) and for urban schools from those available under National Slum Development Programme (NSDP) and urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP) component of Swarna Jayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY).
States have also been advised to utilise services of Self Help Groups for cooking purposes as much as possible.
The programme is being extended to upper primary students from 2004-05. Rs. 1675 crores has been allocated for 2004-05.