Previous Year Question
Mid day Meal Scheme is financed and managed by—
Food and Civil Supply Department of State Governments
Department of Consumer Affairs and Welfare
Ministry of Programme Implementation
Ministry of Human Resource Development
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
The Mid-Day Meal Scheme was a Centrally Sponsored Scheme administered at the Union level under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). MHRD was later renamed the Ministry of Education.
The scheme was launched on 15 August 1995 as the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE). Its major objectives were to improve the nutritional status of school children, encourage enrolment and attendance, and help children learn better in classrooms.
Both the Centre and the States have roles in the scheme. The Central Government provides prescribed assistance, food grains and financial support, while actual implementation is carried out through the States/UTs. Therefore, the Food and Civil Supply Department of State Governments given in option (a) was not the Union-level administrative ministry of the scheme.
Current Status
From 2021-22, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme was renamed “Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN)”. It is presently under the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education and is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for providing a hot cooked meal to children in Government and Government-aided schools.