Context: Recently,Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry asked state governments to begin providing hot cooked Mid Day Meals (MDM) or food security allowance to all students in classes 1 to 8 for as long as their schools remain closed to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Background of this move

• The Union government had announced a nationwide shutdown of classrooms on March 16 in a bid to break the chains of transmission of the novel coronavirus. 
• Some states such as Delhi and Kerala had closed schools, much before the Centre’s announcement, till March 31.
• Even Kerala is already providing hot-cooked meals to students at home. Emulating Kerala, West Bengal announced similar measures.
• The ministry’s order came after the Supreme Court issued notices to all state governments to explain how they would ensure the midday meals reach the vulnerable while schools stay shut.
• The Union government’s order draws power from the MDM Rules 2015, which envisage a situation when meals cannot be provided to students on account of unavailability of foodgrains, cooking cost, fuel or absence of cook-cum-helper. 
• In such a situation the government expected to provide a food security allowance to each child consisting of foodgrains and cooking cost entitlement

The MDM rules 2015, provide that:

• The place of serving meals to the children shall be school only.
• If the Mid-Day Meal is not provided in school on any school day due to non-availability of food grains or any other reason, the State Government shall pay food security allowance by 15th of the succeeding month.
• The meal shall be prepared in accordance with the Mid Day Meal guidelines issued by the Central Government from time to time.
• Procuring AGMARK quality items for preparation of midday meals, tasting of meals by two or three adult members of the school management committee, including at least one teacher, before serving to children.
• The School Management Committee mandated under Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 shall also monitor implementation of the Mid-day meal Scheme.
• The State Steering-cum Monitoring Committee (SSMC) shall oversee the implementation of the scheme including establishment of a mechanism for maintenance of nutritional standards and quality of meals.

About Mid Day Meal Scheme

• The MDM Scheme comes under the Ministry of HRD.
• It was launched in the year 1995 as a centrally sponsored scheme.
• The scheme provides that every child within the age group of six to fourteen years studying in classes I to VIII who enrolls and attends the school, shall be provided hot cooked meal having nutritional standards of 450 calories and 12 gm of protein for primary (I- V class) and 700 calories and 20 gm protein for upper primary (VI-VIII class), free of charge every day except on school holidays.
• Currently, there are 9.17 crore students covered under this scheme.
• The scheme covers all government and government aided schools and also Madarsa and Maqtabs supported under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.

About Samagra Shiksha scheme

• It is an overarching programme for school education extending from Primary till class 12. The programme was introduced in the Union Budget 2018-19 with the aim to treat school education holistically without segmentation of primary and secondary education.
• This programme subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).
• It envisages the ‘school’ as a continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to senior secondary levels.

The major interventions, across all levels of school education, under the scheme are:

• Universal Access including Infrastructure Development and Retention; Gender and Equity, Inclusive Education; Financial support for Teacher Salary; Digital initiatives; Pre-school, Vocational and Sports and Physical Education; Strengthening of Teacher Education and Training; Monitoring and Programme Management; Entitlements under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 including uniforms, textbooks etc.