The Centre has decided to give about ₹100 each to children studying in Class 1 to Class 8 in government schools, who are beneficiaries of the Mid Day Meal scheme.

Mid Day Meal Scheme

• The Midday Meal Scheme is a school meal programme in India designed to better the nutritional standing of school-age children nationwide.
• It is a wholesome freshly-cooked lunch served to children in government and government-aided schools in India.
• The programme supplies free lunches on working days for children in primary and upper primary classes in government, government-aided, local body and alternate innovative education centres, Madarsa and Maqtabs.
• Serving 120,000,000 children in over 1,265,000 schools and Education Guarantee Scheme centres, it is the largest of its kind in the world.
• The programme has undergone many changes since its launch in 1995. The Midday Meal Scheme is covered by the National Food Security Act, 2013.

The scheme aims to:

1. avoid classroom hunger
2. increase school enrolment
3. increase school attendance
4. improve socialization among castes
5. address malnutrition
6. empower women through employment

Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

Q.An objective of the National Food Security Mission is to increase the production of certain crops through area expansion and productivity enhancement in a sustainable manner in the identified districts of the country. What are those crops?

(a) Rice and wheat only

(b) Rice, wheat, and pulses only

(c) Rice, wheat, pulses, and oilseeds only

(d) Rice, wheat, pulses, oilseeds, and vegetables

What is the new move?

• The money, ₹1200 crore in total, will be given to 11.8 crore children through direct benefit transfer as a one-time payment.
• The money comes from the cooking cost component of the scheme, it said.
• This decision will help safeguard the nutritional levels of children and aid in protecting their immunity during challenging pandemic times.

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