ABSTRACT
Appreciating the benefits of school feeding, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) was launched at national level in 1995 as a large social protection program and was integrated in the National Food Security Act, 2013. The introduction of school feeding initiatives in India can be traced back to the pre-independence era, as early as 1925, by the Madras Municipal Corporation for disadvantaged children. In 1994, with the objective of revitalizing the primary education system and achieve universalization of primary education, the District Primary Education Program (DPEP) was launched. In 2013, the large school meal program estimated to be reaching 12 crore children across 12 lakh schools, was incorporated in the National Food Security Act. The nutritional status study of MDMs are few and have been conducted in selected towns and states. MDMS presents a platform for leveraging on other health and nutrition interventions and achieve outcomes that go beyond getting children into school, enhancing enrolment and reducing absenteeism.
