The scheme was for drawing socio-econimically poor students to schools, to provide them food and education. As I have seen there are following problems in the Govt.'s Mid day meal scheme:
- I think despite such comprehensive child development programmes, India continues to struggle with serious concerns such as malnutrition. India’s ranking of 94 in the Global Hunger Index 2020 reflects this.
- Discrimination based on caste basis.
- The National Campaign on Dalit Rights’ 2008 report to the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights also notes that midday meals are typically served in upper-caste communities, and that Dalit children are denied the meal during times of caste tensions to assert the upper caste communities’ dominance.
- According to the National Family Health Survey 2015-16, 39% of children are chronically undernourished.
- The quality of food is frequently tested, with numerous media reports claiming that the food provided under the midday meals is causing children’s health to deteriorate.
- Because many children do not have aadhar cards, linking Aadhar to the midday meal scheme has its own drawbacks, such as limiting children’s access to the scheme.
What are your thoughts on this?