Akshaya Patra Foundation to help enhance effectiveness of mid-day meal scheme

Context

The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in India have entered into a partnership to enhance the effectiveness of the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (formerly mid-day meal scheme).

Key-points

• India was strategically important for the School Meals Coalition that was launched in 2020 with WFP as a coordinating body, as it implemented the largest school feeding programme in the world.
• The partnership is a strategic force multiplier bringing deep work and experience together.
• Since its inception in 1961, school meals have been part of WFP’s mission. 
  • WFP has six decades of experience supporting school feeding, and working with more than 100 countries to set up sustainable national school feeding programmes.

Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF)

• The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF) is an NGO for children in India which implements the Mid-day meal scheme in a number of states in India.
  • Mid-Day Meal Scheme is a centrally-sponsored Scheme that provides children studying in Classes I-VIII of government and government aided schools with cooked mid-day meals.
• The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been awarded the BBC World Service’s Global Food Champion 2019.
  • Global Food Champion is an annual award that honours people or projects that are changing the way the world produces, processes, consumes or thinks about food for the better.

Mid-day Meal Scheme

• The Mid-day Meal scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Human resources and Development.
• The key objectives of the MDMS is to-
  • improve the nutritional status of children 
  • improve enrollment, attendance and retention rates in schools and EGS/AIE centres (Alternative and Innovative Education Centres)
• Both the Centre and the state governments contribute funds for the scheme, with the menu differing in each state according to local factors.