The Mid Day Meal Scheme
Distilled Policy Brief
- The Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) is the world’s largest school meal programme, reaching about 12 crore children in 12 lakh schools.
- The MDMS originated from the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP‑NSPE), a centrally‑sponsored scheme formulated in 1995 to improve enrollment, attendance and retention by providing free food grains to primary schools.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
MDMS is the world’s largest school‑meal programme, covering ~12 crore children in 12 lakh schools.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
The centre‑state financing split—central free food grains and higher share of cooking costs—shapes fiscal federalism and implementation effectiveness of the MDMS.
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
Which of the following is the correct calorie provision for primary grade students under the Mid Day Meal Scheme?
- [A] 300 calories
- [B] 450 calories
- [C] 600 calories
- [D] 700 calories
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
The scheme prescribes 450 calories for primary (grade‑1 to 5) students, as stated in the nutritional content table. The other figures (300, 600, 700) do not correspond to the primary grade requirement.
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.