Mid Day Meals during school holidays

Mid Day Meals during school holidays

The Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme guidelines envisage serving of mid day meals in elementary schools during summer vacation in areas which are formally notified by the concerned State Governments as drought affected.

Under the Scheme, the cooking cost which includes the cost of vegetables, pulses, oil, condiments & fuel is being provided to States and UTs. The current cooking cost stands at Rs.4.13 and Rs.6.18 per child per day for primary and upper primary stages respectively.

The cooking cost is shared between Central and State Governments as per prescribed ratio. The same funding pattern is applicable during summer vacation in drought affected areas. Several States and UTs are also contributing additional funds over and above their minimum mandatory share under the Scheme.

Besides the above, the Central Government provides 100% funding for food grains, transport assistance, kitchen devices and Management Monitoring & Evaluation expenses. Food grains under the scheme are provided through Food Corporation of India (FCI) to States and UTs at rates under National Food Security Act, 2013 i.e. Rs. 2 and Rs. 3 per kg for wheat and Rice respectively. The economic cost of wheat is Rs. 23.45 per kg and that of rice is Rs. 32.67 per kg.