A nutritious diet is important to have a healthy life and it should be followed from the childhood stage. Or else, it may cause long-term consequences like stunting, wasting, etc. A healthy diet is all about eating nutrient-rich foods that are balanced with your age, gender, lifestyle, and level of physical activity.
According to the BMJ publication, “149 million children are stunted (chronically undernourished) and 50 million are acutely undernourished (wasted), with undernutrition a direct or underlying cause in 45% of all child deaths. In addition, 40 million children under 5 years are overweight and 678 million adults are obese”.
Numerous countries are investing in school feeding programmes for enhancing the nutrition of children. The school feeding programme is one of the best interventions to tackle malnourishment among children. The benefit of the programme is not limited to a plate of nutritious food. It has the potential to generate significant changes in critical areas like health, academic, and socio-economic spheres.
Mid-Day Meal Programme (PM Poshan Abhiyaan)
Mid-Day Meal programme (PM POSHAN Abhiyaan) is a well-designed school feeding programme by the Government of India to eliminate classroom hunger in school-going children and thus improving their health and learning abilities. As the largest school feeding programme in the world, it has succeeded in addressing the deficiency of daily protein, iron, and calorie deficiency. If children are getting enough nutrient-rich food, it will boost their learning capacity and academic performance.
Advantages of Mid-Day Meal programme include:
Eliminate hunger
Boosts immunity
Sustain physical, mental, and cognitive development
Improve academic performance
Promote girls’ education
Mid-Day Meal (MDM)- A stimulator of fostering equitable society
Education is not just about getting good grades. It is also about the ability to distinguish between right and wrong and being sensitive to your fellow beings. When the school bell rings for the lunch break, students in different classes come to have their lunch together. With smiling faces, when children from different backgrounds have their meal together, they learn about the basic lessons of humanity. It uproots the feeling of differences based on religious, caste, or gender. The MDM creates a unique ambiance of love and care among children.
Role of NGOs in implementing MDM
There are many NGOs in India that work to address various societal challenges in India. Akshaya Patra is one such organisation that is determined to eliminate classroom hunger by implementing the Mid-Day Meal programme (PM POSHAN Abhiyaan) in government and government-aided schools across India. With the support of the government, corporates, philanthropists, like-minded individuals and well-wishers, the organisation has succeeded in nourishing 2 million children every day. For children to get a 360-degree benefit from the Mid-Day Meal programme, the organisation provides nutritious meal that helps improving the nutritional profile of the children.
How Mid-Day Meal programme can empower the nation?
As Peter Drucker said, “It is people, not capital or raw materials that develop an economy.” So, the development of a healthy nation requires significant investment in the school feeding programme. Just as how a plant requires ample care in its sapling stage, similarly, for human beings to reach their fullest potential requires enough nutritious meals in their childhood stage. So, let’s join hands for the successful implementation of the Mid-Day Meal programme.
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