Support to midday meal scheme

India has established itself as one of the potential superpowers of the world but has a lot more to address on the malnutrition front. Nearly half of the deaths among children are attributed to lack of the right nutrition. Proper nutrition is the key in establishing a healthy foundation for children until the age of five. Despite India being the second-largest food producer in the world, malnutrition, especially amongst children, remains a large roadblock in the country’s journey forward.

Over the past decades, India is deliberately contributing to the second goal of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to tackle all forms of hunger and malnutrition. To address this issue, the Indian government came up with the concept of providing meals to students. The midday meal scheme was launched on 15 August 1995 as ‘National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education also Known as MDM. Under the this scheme, one meal is provided to all the children enrolled in government and government-aided schools. Cooked meals are provided to children aged 6 to 14 years i.e. every child studying in primary and upper primary classes. The main motive behind this move was to ensure that all the children in government schools, especially those who are unable to get food at home, had at least one good meal a day. Midday meal became one reason for improving attendance in schools along with aiding in physical and cognitive development.

Akshaya Patra’s initiative to support the MDM scheme

The Midday Meal Programme plays a significant role in providing nutrition to children, especially in rural areas. Several studies suggest that there has been a rapid growth in factors related to enrolment, attendance, health, and socialisation. To double this impact and bring more children to school under the MDM programme, The Akshaya Patra Foundation one of the top NGOs in India started feeding children from challenging socio-economic backgrounds with nutritious school meals.

Akshaya Patra started the midday meal program way back in 2000 and is successfully running the MDM scheme across 58 locations of the country. They provide hot and nutritious meals at government and government-aided schools to ensure that children not only get access to unlimited food for education but also to prescribed quantities of nutrition. The NGO that started feeding 1,500 children is now catering to millions of children with nutritious school meals. Today, they have the distinction of being the world's largest NGO run school lunch programme, serving freshly cooked nutritious meals to over 1.8 million children in 19,039 schools of 13 states & 1 union territory, making them one of the top NGOs in India.

How can you support the midday meal scheme?

A midday meal is more like a gift of hope to marginalised children. One good meal a day is essential for a child’s well-being and development. You can gift meals to marginalized children and bring a positive impact on their learning outcomes. Donate to NGO or indulge yourself in creating awareness, a fundraising campaign on social media platforms and help the children get a one-time nutritious meal with Akshaya Patra. Today’s children are the future of our country. Let us ensure that they get all the required nourishment by providing nutritious meals at least once a day.