1. Introduction

Children constitute around 40 percent of India's population. They belong to different economic and social strata. A majority of them inherit the socio-economic deprivation of their parents. They do not have access to an essential requirements of nutrition, health-care and learning opportunities. The founders of Indian Constitution were aware of this situation. Therefore, the Indian Constitution, in Article 39, laid down that the State shall direct its policy in such a way.

(E) That the health and strength of workers, men and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age of strength.

(F) That children are given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner in conditions of freedom and dignity and that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment.

Further, Article 45 of the Constitution directs the state to provide free and compulsory education for children. The Article declares:

The state shall endeavor to provide within a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children, until they complete the age of fourteen years.

After two decades of Independence, however, only 76 percent of the children were enrolled in primary schools. A large number of tem did not even complete primary education. The drop out rate also caused great concern. Unfortunately, there was no overall policy for the development of children till the end of 'sixties' though the Government introduced several programmes for physical and educational development of children. Following the declaration of the Rights of the Child, the Government of India adopted a policy resolution for children in August 1974. This resolution declared:

It shall be the policy of the state to provide adequate services to children before and after birth and though the period of growth, to ensure their full physical, mental and social development. The state shall progressively increase the scope of such services so that, within a reasonable time, all children in the country enjoy optimum conditions for their balanced growth.

In pursuance of the efforts towards the attainment of the above objectives, the resolution specified the important fifteen measures (GOI, 1979). They included the following:
i) all children to be covered by comprehensive health programme
ii) implementation of nutrition programme to remove deficiencies in the diet of children.
iii) Provision of free and compulsory education for all children upto age of 14; reduction of wastage and stagnation in schools, particularly in the case of girls and children of the weaker sections of society; also the taking up of informal education, and
iv) With a view to ensure equality of opportunities, provision of special assistance to all children belonging to the weaker sections of society both in urban and rural areas.

2. Mid-Day Meal Programme with the above quoted objectives

In view, of above a free school-lunch programme was launched to attract children to the school and improve their nutritional status. The Madras Corporation was the first to introduce such school-lunch programme in the year 1925. the scheme was restricted to children from poor families on income criteria.

3. History in Gujarat

In Gujarat the Mid Day Meal (MDM) programme covering the age group 6-11 years in 53 talukas was introduced in the sixties as a Central Government sponsored programme. About 5083 schools in 68 talukas were covered under this programme till October, 1984. The Government of Gujarat extended the programme in the entire state to cover all the students in that age group from 19th November 1984, for "mitigating malnutrition among the vulnerable groups." The state Government felt that the provision of nutritious meals to primary school children can play a very crucial role in increasing the rate of literacy.

In addition to the cooked food, Government of Gujarat also provides from their budgetary sources, a package of micro-nutrient therapeutic medicines like Vitamin-A for improvement of eye sight and removal of night blindness, tablet Albendazole for deworming, and tablet Ferrous sulphate as iron buster to all the primary school children to sustain the health standard alongwith the nutritional standard. An expenditure of Rs. 4.0 core (approximately) is incurred on the account every year. This scheme is in force since 1993.

This medicinal package programme has been widely acclaimed by the Government of India, UNICEF, World Health Organisation and other leading organisations.

MDM scheme was discontinued fro August 90 to October 91 and a new scheme "Food for Education" was introduced in its place wherein primary school children having 70% attendance were provided 10 kgs. of foodgrains free of cost per month. The MDM scheme was reintroduced from 15th January 1992.

4. The Broad Objectives of the MDM scheme are as under:

1. To give Mid-Day Meal to the children of the primary schools of the State, which will supplement the state's efforts towards removal of poverty.
2. To improve the nutritional health standard of the growing children.
3. To reduce drop-out rate and to increase attendance and to attract poorer children to come to the school.
4. To increase the employment opportunities at the village level.
5. To achieve social and national integration.
6. To attract poorer children to school by providing Mid-Day Meal to them.
7. To supplement state efforts towards removal of poverty.

Under the scheme, hot cooked meal comprising of wheat 50 grams, rice 50 grams, pulse 20 grams, vegetables and condiments 50 grams and edible oil 10 grams admeasuring 180 grams and containing 450 caloric value is provided to all the primary school children of standard I to VII. About 26 lakh children on an average take advantage of the scheme of which 3 lakhs are SC, 6 lakhs are ST and 9 lakhs are OBC.

Since August 1995, Government of India has started country-wide scheme of NP-NSPE where in all the students of standard I to V of the Primary Schools are provided 100 grams of foodgrains (Wheat & Rice) free of cost on the basis of enrollment figures of the State. But the cost of cooking process is borne by state Government. Not only that, the Mid Day Meal Expenditure for the students of Std. VI to VII is also borne by State Government.

5. Administrative Structure of the Programme and Its working:

At the state level, the programme is managed by an officer of the rank of Commissioner wo is also ex-officio Secretary to the State Education Department. The Commissioner is assisted by the Deputy Commissioner who is of Additional Collector rank and two Assistant Commissioners from Deputy Collector cadre. Our Assistant Commissioner is for implementation and the other is for administration. It is the responsibility of the Commissioner to coordinate the functioning of the various departments towards MDM scheme such as Education, Revenue, Health and Civil Supplies etc. and to supervise and guide the programme.

5.1 Purchase and Transport
The supply of pulse and oil besides foodgrains is carried out buy the Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation who is supposed to deliver the same at the respective MBM centers ensuring sound quality of materials within the framework of fixed time limit.

5.2 Administrative Network
The District Collector is responsible at the district level for coordinating and supervising the programme. The District Development Officer is required to extend all possible help to the District Collector in the implementation of the scheme. The day-to-day functioning of the programme is carried our by the Deputy Collector (MDM). He is assisted by the Deputy Primary Education Officer.

At the District level, the vigorous implementation and proper functioning of the scheme is looked after by a vigilance committee. The committee is headed by the Collector and consists of the Deputy Collector (MDM), District Development Officer, Civil Supply Officer, District Primary Education Officer, MPs and MLAs from the district.

In the corporation area, the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation is the head of the MDM programme. He is assisted by the Deputy Commissioner (MDM) who is responsible for carrying out the programme.

The Mamlatdar, the revenue officer at the taluka level, is the head of the MDM Programme. The Deputy Mamlatdar in charge of MDM assists him. Over and above one primary education inspector is there to help him. There is also a Taluka level MDM advisory committee consisting of officers and MLA. MDM Committee under the chairmanship of District Collector compiles statistical data related to the programme and coordinates supervision work with the District Primary Education Officer. At the taluka level, these functions are carried out by the Mamlatdar. In case of non-supply of food-stuff items in time by Civil Supply Corporation, the District Collector is empowered to purchase from the local market under the prescribed procedure of Government.

The Education Inspectors are expected to supervise the MDM programme along with sthe other work when they visit schools. The extension workers are also expected to supervise the MDM programme during their visit to the village. The Mamlatdar assigns the owrk every month to various officers to visit a minimum number of the centers. The concerned officers are expected to provide feedback on the functioning of the MDM Programme. He checks about the quality of material utilized in the preparation of cooked food and the cleanliness of the area of cooking operations and around, and the upkeep of Stocks, Accounts and other requisite Data/Materials.

6. MDM Centers

Gujarat State MDM programme covers all the primary schools run by the state / local bodies / District Panchayat. There are more that 26,000 MDM centers in 18569 villages that cater to the feeding of school children. Generally, each primary school has a MDM center. But, it is not the case with the large sized villages, towns and cities where there are more that one primary school in close vicinity. In such places, the MDMs center caters to more that one school. A semicentralized system has been evolved in 6 Municipal Corporations where all the schools do not have kitchen or dining place facilities. Therefore, the food is cooked at a centralised place and then cooked food is transported to the various schools of the area. This is very convenient and economical which reduces the infrastructural costs and provides speedier mode of reaching entire municipal schools.

6.1 MDM Center Staff and their duties:
Each MDM center has a staff of minimum three persons i.e. an organiser, a cook and a helper. In the case of a large number of students in towns and cities, the number of cooks and helpers may increase. it is the responsibility of an organiser to bring foodgrains from, the taluka civil supply depot, or nearby Fair-Price-Shop; to purchase vegetables and ingredients such as fuel, salt, chillies, etc., from the market and to ensure the quality of materials purchased is sound for children's consumption. The cooks are provided the rations as per desired strength of average daily beneficiaries and to see that the food is cooked in hygienically neat and clean surroundings and free from germs & bacteria. The quality of food supplied should be as per children's liking and taster and there should be no wastage material.

7. Community Participation

Besides procuring food stuff, the organiser prepares the menu, maintains accounts and supervises the preparation of the food and distribution. All the centers have constituted MDM committees consisting of the Headmaster of the school, the Sarpanch and four 'representative' of the parents. The Government Resolution aims to include the parents representatives with adequate percentage of SC and ST members. This Committee will be constituted by the members. This Committee will be constituted by the Mamlatdar and may render all help for the running of the scheme. This committee acts as a watchdog committee. Helper cleans foodgrain and spices, washes vessels, cleans the dining place and kitchen, stores water. The organiser get Rs. 500, the cook gets Rs. 250 and the helper gets Rs. 175 per month as honnarium. Their services are purely temporary and parttime. In the Corporation areas, Where one MDM center caters to more that 7 to 8 schools and has centralised kitchen, the organisers are paid honorarium of Rs. 1500, cooks Rs. 800 and the helpers Rs. 500 per month."

8. Assistance by Government of India

The Government of India allots wheat and rice free of cost, to the State Governments on students enrollment basis under NP-NSPE Programme.

Government of India also provides reimbursement of transportation expenditure at the rate of Rs. 50 per quintal from FCI Godown to MDM Centers.

The guideline also provide for the payment of wages and payment of labor charges towards construction of kitchen sheds which is yet to be implemented.

9. Expenditure of Last Six Years

The plan ceiling, fixed by Government and expenditure incurred by the State Government in the last six years is shown in the box :

10. Allocation and Lifting of Food-grains

Central allocation of the food-grains to the Gujarat State is as under during the past four years:-

* Lifting is in process in this year.

11. Ninth Five Year Plan Proposal

To make the MDM scheme more effective and attractive and to ensure health check-up of the students, provision of Rs. 500 crores has been made in the 9th Five Year Plan (1997-2002).

Introduction of Health cards & weighing machines to maintain and to keep upto date health record of the school children, besides construction of kitchen sheds and more attention to popularize the scheme through better mass media communications and publicity are the highlights of the proposals. Distribution of fool-packets/milk in area, which are remote and inaccessible sis also under consideration.