National Food Security Act: HRD ministry's new rules make midday meals a child's right

NEW DELHI: Midday meal ( MDM) will now be a right of a child and not merely an entitlement that it has been since 1995 when the flagship programme was launched. Also for the first time students will be given food security allowance by the state government if no cooking is done.

Food allowance will consist of quantity of food grains as per entitlement of the child (450 calories plus 12 gram protein for primary and 700 calories and 20 gram protein for upper primary children) and cooking cost. In case of NGO-run centralised kitchens, allowance will have to be paid by them. Also, NGOs involved in cooking MDM will now be restricted to urban areas.

To ensure that schools do not go without mid-day meal, new rules empower headmaster or headmistress of the school to utilise any fund available so that children get food. In case, MDM is not provided in school on three continuous days or at least five days in a month, state government will have the power to fix responsibility.

The major step forward for MDM has been taken after HRD notified new rules under the National Food Security Act. However, it remains to be seen if MDM that gets foodgrains at BPL rate (Rs 5.65kg rice; Rs 4.15kg wheat) will now get it under the new rates under the Food Security Act (Rs 3kg rice; Rs 2kg wheat). New rules is also going to affect the construction of more than 1.5 lakh kitchen-cum-stores as they will have to follow the new rules emphasising on hygiene. More than 7.25 lakh kitchen-cum-stores have already been constructed.

The new rules also make testing of food mandatory every month on random basis. School Management Committees have also been given the responsibility to oversee quality of meal and cleanliness.