Midday meal programmes: Tamil Nadu and national (PM POSHAN)
India's school meal was pioneered in Tamil Nadu and became a national programme in 1995. Renamed PM POSHAN in 2021, it serves a free hot meal in government schools.
Milestones: state and national
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1925 | The city corporation of Chennai (then Madras) starts meals for poor children in its schools |
| Late 1950s | Chief Minister K. Kamaraj extends free midday meals across the state's schools to raise enrolment |
| 1982 | Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran launches the Chief Minister's Nutritious Noon Meal Programme for preschool and school children |
| 1995 | National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE) begins on 15 August |
| 2001 | Supreme Court orders cooked midday meals in all government and aided primary schools |
| 2013 | National Food Security Act makes a free school meal a legal right of children aged 6-14 (classes I-VIII) |
| 2021 | Scheme renamed PM POSHAN; pre-primary children in government schools included |
| 2022 | Tamil Nadu starts the Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme for primary classes in government schools |
Objectives
- Improve the nutritional status of school children and relieve classroom hunger.
- Raise enrolment, attendance and retention, especially of girls and poor children.
- Improve attention and learning in class.
- Promote social equality: children of all castes and religions eat together.
- Give employment to local women as cooks and helpers.
- Teach good food habits and hygiene; support school nutrition gardens.
Main features of PM POSHAN, in words
- Who: children of classes I-VIII, and pre-primary children, in government and government-aided schools.
- What: a free, hot cooked meal on school days that meets set norms for energy and protein (higher for upper primary); fortified rice, millets, pulses and vegetables encouraged.
- Cost shared by the Centre and the states; states may add items such as eggs, milk or fruit.
- Tithi Bhojan: the community adds special meals on festivals or family occasions.
- School nutrition gardens for fresh vegetables and learning.
- Quality and safety: tasting before serving, clean kitchen-cum-stores, social audit and School Management Committee checks.
- If the meal is not served, a food security allowance is due under the NFSA rules.
PM POSHAN vs POSHAN Abhiyaan
The syllabus groups them together, but they are two different schemes; do not mix them up in the exam.
Problems and suggestions
- Irregular supply of grains and funds; delays in paying cooks.
- Poor hygiene and occasional food poisoning: cooks need training and kitchens need clean water and storage.
- Monotonous menus with too few pulses and vegetables in some places: add pulses, eggs, millets and greens.
- Teachers' time taken up by meal management.
- Suggestions: regular checks by School Management Committees, social audits, nutrition education, kitchen gardens and community participation.
A nutrition graduate can plan low-cost local menus for a noon-meal centre (ragi, greens, sambar with plenty of dal, eggs where served), train cooks in hygiene and check that the meal really meets the norms.
2 marks: “What is PM POSHAN?” Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman: the 2021 name of the national school meal scheme, which gives a free hot cooked meal to children in government and aided schools.
5 marks: “Trace the history of the noon meal programme in Tamil Nadu.” 1925 Chennai city corporation schools; late-1950s statewide expansion under Kamaraj; 1982 Nutritious Noon Meal Programme under M.G. Ramachandran; 2022 breakfast scheme.
10 marks: “Discuss the objectives and features of the midday meal programme. Add a note on its problems.” History, state and national (1925, 1982, 1995, 2001, 2013, 2021); objectives; features of PM POSHAN; how it differs from POSHAN Abhiyaan; problems and suggestions.
1925 Chennai → 1982 TN noon meal → 1995 national → 2001 court order → 2013 legal right → 2021 PM POSHAN.