The mid-day meal scheme introduced in schools by the government serves several purposes. Recently, schools in the Ponda taluka reported the presence of worms in the mid-day meals provided by the Utkarsh Women’s Self-Help Group. The objective of the mid-day meal programme is to provide healthy, nutritious food to students in schools in and around Goa, ultimately aiming to eradicate malnutrition-related disabilities.
Mid-day meals have significantly increased school attendance and retention rates. In 2021, the MDM scheme was renamed as the ‘Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman’ scheme. However, quality issues require urgent attention if mid-day meal programmes are to realize their full potential. Besides, activists allege that the meals served don’t meet the nutritional standards.
Proper quality checks are needed before the meals are served to the children. The Department of Education (DoE) should take measures, including implementing stricter monitoring mechanisms, conducting regular audits, and encouraging public participation in monitoring the scheme. At the very least, the State government should monitor how the food is prepared and served to the children.
