Social Protection for Food Security – A Study of Mid-Day Meal Scheme in India

Abstract

Despite primary schooling being universally recognized as a public good, with a direct impact on economic growth, one billion people in the world – on in six – are illiterate, and 104 million of the world’s children were out of school in the year 2013 (United Nations Economic, Social, and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] 2013). Over third of the world’s illiterates are in India. India’s population of illiterates is larger than that of any other country in the world – at least 350 million people, according to 2011 Census of India. In other words, more than one in three illiterate persons on the planet is an Indian and India’s population of illiterates in 2010 was larger than the total population of the country in 1947. Well-designed and effectively implemented social protection programmes are essential for ensuring access to food and comprehensively addressing the problem of malnutrition. These programmes are non-contributory and sharply targeted programmes that focus on the poor and vulnerable sections of the population. Among many social protection programmes in India there are two broad categories specifically targeted for the poor and closely related to food security and nutrition. These are (i) Public Distribution System and Supplementary Nutrition Programmes and (ii) Rural Wage Employment Programme. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) are two major initiatives for improving the level of nutrition.