Restart midday meals in schools: Sonia Gandhi

Sonia Gandhi also asked the government to make available hot, cooked food to children under three years, pregnant women and lactating mothers

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday raised the issues of malnutrition among schoolchildren in the aftermath of the Covid crisis and asked the government to resume midday meals in schools.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said that schoolchildren have suffered the most under the covid crisis. “Among all the country’s institutions, schools were the first to shut and the last to open. When they did, the facility of midday meals was stopped for children across the country,” she said.

Gandhi said that while the National Food Security Act and a SC directive ensured the supply of uncooked essentials, children need nutritious cooked food. “Dry ration is no solution for children, who need nutritious food,” she said.

She urged the government to ensure hot cooked meals in schools under the ICDS programme, and said that the food will also bring back children who dropped out of schools under the Covid pandemic. She added the Centre must have additional allocation for midday meals in the Budget.

Quoting data from the National Family Health Survey of 2019-21, Gandhi said that the number of children below the age of 5 years who are severely malnourished has increased in comparison to 2015-16.

“Children below three years of age, pregnant and lactating women must be given hot cooked food in Anganwadis,” Gandhi said.

She urged the government to take the help of the anganwadi network. Gandhi's raising of the issue comes as anganwadis in various states in North India continue to protest against their pay scales.

This week a Parliamentary panel noted how the food ministry raised issues of underpayment of prices of foodgrains for midday meals. The Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution, led by TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, noted that the Food Corporation of India has raised the issue of unpaid dues of Rs 350 crore till December 2021 against the ministry of education for foodgrains supplied under the midday meal scheme.

Check out the latest videos from DH: