COVID-19 AND ITS IMPACT ON MID-DAY MEAL PROGRAM IN INDIA Abstract Mid-day meal program is one of the largest school feeding meal programs in the world. It provides nutritious food to millions of Indian children. It has also resulted in increasing student’s enrollment and attendance in school. However, due to the pandemic caused by Novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, with closures of schools, the program got badly affected. An additional expenditure of Rs. 1600 crores by the Union Government of India, to provide mid-day meal scheme has been announced. 1 As for the poor and for the vulnerable the meal program is only source of having good nutritious food. However, the present time has changed the picture for all. This paper therefore tries to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the Mid-Day meal program in India. Key words: Mid-Day meal program, education, food, COVID-19, schools 1 PIB Daily Bulletin on COVID-19. Government of India, April 30th 2020. Available from https://www.thehinducentre.com/resources/article31473817.ece/binary/PIB%E2%80%99s%20Daily%20Bulletin %20on%20COVID-19%20as%20on-30-4-2020.pdfv 1 Introduction India which is home to 1.3 billion people is one of the highly populated countries in the world. It is not only highly populated but diverse in various aspects. From geographical and physical differences there are social, economic and gender differences. These differences are expected to rise when there is a huge calamity, both natural and man-made. At present entire world is suffering from the virus pandemic. Novel coronavirus or COVID-19 has crippled the entire world with its shocking numbers. Till early August there are 7, 04, 385 deaths around the world due to Corona pandemic. Currently there are 18, 705, 096 confirmed cases in the world. (Worldometer, August 5, 2020) In India itself, there are 19, 08, 254 total cases of which over 12 lacs have been recovered. Total number of deaths are 39, 820. (Worldometer, August 5, 2020) Let us just not only talk about numbers. The effect of the pandemic on people has also been different. Different set and class of people had been affected differently. Thousands of people in India are suffering from mental and physical agony. People are being pushed to poverty. There are shortage of jobs and work. People are running out of alternatives to earn their livelihood. With the virus spreading now to tier 2 and 3 cities there will be a rise in more problems. One area which is also badly affected is the education sector. It is no doubt that many schools are taking classes through online medium. But these services are limited to equipped schools. There are areas which are not that technology sound and there is limited data facility. While there is question on how to provide good quality education in those areas, there is another question about providing food to the school students. In a report titled, “COVID-19 aftershocks, A perfect Storm: Millions more children at risk of violence under lockdown and into the “New Normal” by World Vision 177 countries have closed the schools to slow down the impact of COVID-19 on children. Shutting of schools has also increased the risk of emotional, physical violence on them. Children belonging to poor and vulnerable section of 2 societies are further affected by it2. It is said that young children are the ones who are facing the worst consequences of COVID-19 especially in low-and-middle-income countries.3 Many countries have their own systems of providing food to school students. India has one of the largest food distribution schemes to the school children. National Program of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE) was founded in 1995 by the Government of India as Centrally sponsored scheme. The plan was to distribute cooked free food to the students during lunch. By the year 1997-98 it got extended and implemented in all blocks of the country. The scheme is popularly known as the Mid-Day meal (MDM). It also covers student’s studying in Education guarantee scheme, Alternative and Innovative education and madarsas. Every state and UTs are responsible for its operations and management. Further it is only in 2006-07 it also provides free meals to students belonging to upper primary classes. In 2009-2010, children under National Child Labor Project Schools have come under this scheme. According to the 2018, educational statistics of India total number of children enrolled for Mid- Day Meal scheme are 9.83 crores for the year 2017-18.4 The core idea and objective behind the scheme was to relish hunger and to provide nutrition to the needy children. Many studies suggest that there is an indispensable relationship between nutrition and education.5 Proper diet and food is necessary to build a good mind. Children need good food to grow and to learn things better and faster. India has a high percent of malnutrition. India with its National Nutrition Mission or the POSHAN Abhiyaan, 2018 has put in 1.3 billion US dollars to address the challenges of nutrition.6 In 2017, India had released its National Nutrition Strategy which had presented the problems 2 World Vision. (2020). COVID-19 aftershocks, A PERFECT STORM: MILLIONS MORE CHILDREN AT RISK OF VIOLENCE UNDER LOCKDOWN AND INTO THE ‘NEW NORMAL. It takes a world to end violence against children. May,2020. Available from https://www.wvi.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/Aftershocks%20FINAL%20VERSION_0.pdf 3 Fore Henrietta H, Dongyu Qu, Beasley David M., Ghebreyesus Tedros A. (2020) Child malnutrition and COVID-19: the time to act is now. The Lancet. Volume 396. P 517-518. Available from https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2820%2931648-2 4 Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development. (2018). Educational Statistics at a Glance. Department of School Education and Literacy, Statistics Division, New Delhi. Available from https://www.mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/statistics-new/ESAG-2018.pdf 5 Thakur Pratap. (2013). Assessment of children availing mid day meal scheme. Thesis: master in public health. Available from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303242637_ASSESSMENT_OF_CHILDREN_AVAILING_MID_DAY_MEAL_ SCHEME 6 India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative Malnutrition Collaborators. (2019) The burden of child and maternal malnutrition and trends in its indicators in the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2017. 3 associated with nutrition. The strategy included in depth district analysis of nutrition burden of India. The objective was to integrate the mission on the lines of National Health Mission, Integrated Child Development Scheme, Mid-Day Meal Scheme Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (SABLA), Swachha Bharat Mission etc. 7 India shares the one third of global burden of under nutrition, according to the 2018 the global nutrition report.8 According to the Lancet study, the rate of low birth weight was 21.4% in 2017. The rate of child stunting and child wasting was 39.3% and 15.7% in 2017. The prevalence of child underweight in 2017 was 32.7%. The rate of child anaemia was 59.7% in 2017. The report also highlights the state differentials in terms of malnutrition. The target set by the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 to eliminate all form of malnutrition is difficult to achieve, according to the analysis. National Council on India’s Nutritional challenges, POSHAN Abhiyan, the body set to form policies and monitoring all nutrition based schemes.9 Despite this, there are many challenges faced by the people of India. Nutrition is not just about eating food it is dependent upon how well you eat and how right you eat. This is also dependent upon many factors like education, financials, awareness etc. A very famous book by Michael Marmot, The Status Syndrome: How Social Standing Affects Our Health and Longevity talks about the gradients of health. According to him to be healthy is not just about money. There are other social gradients which defines our health. Education and mental state of a person are two important factors.10 Thus, there is need to make people more aware about their health and their intake of food. Mid-Day meal challenges Lancet Child Adolesc Health. Volume 3: 855-70. Available from https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf? pii=S2352-4642%2819%2930273-1 7 NITI Ayog. (2018). Nourishing India, National Nutrition Strategy, Government of India. Available from https://niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/document_publication/Nutrition_Strategy_Booklet.pdf 8 2018 Global Nutrition Report: Shining a light to spur actions on nutrition. Available from file:///C:/Users/DeepakS/Downloads/2018_Global_Nutrition_Report%20(1).pdf 9 NITI Ayog. (2019-20). NITI Ayog Annual Report, 2019-20. Government of India. Available from https://niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2020-02/Annual_Report_2019-20.pdf 10 Michael Marmot. (2004) The Status Syndrome: How Social Standing Affects Our Health and Longevity. Bloomsbury paperbacks. 4 A program which has not only provide nutritional aid to the students, it has also helped in increasing the count of students enrolling in schools.11 In 2008-2009, the scheme was extended to upper primary schools. According to the 2017 Mid Day Scheme Manual for District-Level Functionaries there has been revision in students’ intake of food for both primary and upper primary students. Primary School Students Upper Primary School Students Calories – 480 kcal (food grains, pulses, Calories – 720 kcal vegetables, oil/fats, salts) Protein – 12 gms Protein – 20 gms Supplements – Iron, Vitamin A, Folic acid Supplements – Iron, Vitamin A, Folic acid Source: Mid Day Scheme Manual for District-Level Functionaries, 2017 The scheme has been integrated with other spheres of social development like water and sanitation practices, Kitchen storages and school health programs.