NEWS

Karnataka is set to provide eggs under the Midday Meal Scheme (MDMS) for school children

MID-DAY MEAL SCHEME

• Guarantees one meal to all children in government and aided schools and madarsas supported under Samagra Shiksha.
• Students up to Class VIII are guaranteed one nutritional cooked meal at least 200 days in a year.
• Under the Ministry of HRD.
• Launched in the year 1995 & revamped in 2004

GUIDELINES

• The place of serving meals to the children shall be school only.
• If the Mid-Day Meal is not provided in school on any school day due to non-availability of food grains or any other reason, the State Government shall pay food security allowance by 15th of the succeeding month.
• The meal shall be prepared in accordance with the Mid Day Meal guidelines issued by the Central Government from time to time.
• Procuring AGMARK quality items for preparation of midday meals, tasting of meals by two or three adult members of the school management committee, including at least one teacher, before serving to children.
• The School Management Committee mandated under the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 shall also monitor implementation of the Mid-day meal Scheme.
• The State Steering-cum Monitoring Committee (SSMC) shall oversee the implementation of the scheme including establishment of a mechanism for maintenance of nutritional standards and quality of meals.

FINANCING

• Shared between the central and state governments
• The central government provides free food grains to the states
• The cost of cooking, infrastructure development, transportation of food grains and payment of honorarium to cooks and helpers is shared by the centre with the state governments