Assam adds breakfast to mid-day meal scheme, aims to benefit 35 lakh school children

Assam is set to expand its mid-day meal scheme to include breakfast for 35 lakh school children, becoming the latest state after Tamil Nadu to serve both morning and afternoon meals in government schools.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the breakfast scheme as part of the MDM programme during the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a Rs 25.45-crore centralised kitchen in Dibrugarh on Sunday. The kitchen aims to serve hot meals to thousands of schoolchildren across the region.

“If we provide breakfast along with lunch to the 35 lakh school-going children in Assam, it will greatly improve attendance and reduce dropouts,” Sarma said. According to a report by The Assam Tribune, he emphasised that proper nutrition is crucial for cognitive development, particularly for children from low-income families.

Mid-day meal: Centralised kitchen

Assam plans to construct centralised kitchens in Nalbari, Tezpur, Dibrugarh, and Lakhimpur, partnering with Hare Krishna Foundation and Akshaya Patra Foundation for food distribution.

“In Dibrugarh, we are revamping the mid-say meal Scheme through building a central kitchen along with Akshaya Patra to ensure nutritious meals to our students,” CM Sarma said in a post on X.

One kitchen in Majuli is already operational along with three others in Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup, and Jorhat.

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Tamil Nadu, in a 2022 decision, had become the first state in India to launch a government-sponsored breakfast scheme. Chief minister MK Stalin introduced the scheme for classes 1-5 students, arguing that hungry children struggle to concentrate in classrooms.

“Children coming to school on an empty stomach cannot concentrate,” Stalin had stated at the time, calling the scheme a foundational investment in education.

NEP push for MDM scheme

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 states, “Children are unable to learn optimally when they are undernourished or unwell.” It recommends adding simple but energising breakfast items in mid-day meals, such as groundnuts mixed with jaggery and/or local fruits, particularly during cognitively active morning hours.

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The NEP 2020 also advocates for child welfare measures, including regular health check-ups, school health cards, and mental health counseling to create a holistic learning environment. However, the government hasn’t implemented these recommendations and finance ministry reportedly vetoed the proposal.