New Delhi: India’s rising food inflation over the past two years has severely affected school meals provided to millions of underprivileged children. The government-funded mid-day meal scheme, designed to offer basic nutrition to children and encourage school attendance, has faced cutbacks due to the soaring prices of vegetables, fruits, and pulses, according to Reuters.
Reuters interviews with 21 school teachers across four states, along with families and researchers, reveal that many schools have been forced to reduce the quality of meals. The meal budget under the programme has not been increased in two years, despite the sharp rise in food costs.
The mid-day meal scheme covers an estimated 120 million children across a million government and government-aided schools, from pre-school to class 8. While the government provides free grain for the meals, schools manage the remaining ingredients. However, the lack of budget adjustments for inflation has made it difficult to maintain the quality of food.
"The budget for the mid-day meal scheme isn’t adjusted regularly to match inflation, which affects the quality of the meals," said Dipa Sinha, an independent development economist who works with the ‘Right For Food’ campaign. She noted that while free grain is provided by the government, it does not make up for the reduction in other nutritious ingredients like vegetables, pulses, milk, and eggs due to insufficient funds.
An example of this issue can be seen in the case of 8-year-old Ranjit Nayak from Ghugudipada village in Odisha. His family of five, who survive on daily wages of around Rs 250 ($2.98), often struggle to provide him with more than boiled rice. Ranjit’s first proper meal of the day often comes from his school, but inflation has impacted the quality of these meals.
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"My son is sometimes satisfied with the school meal, but on other days, it’s just watery dal (lentils) with little substance," said Arati Nayak, Ranjit's mother, who earns Rs 25 a day weaving disposable plates from dry leaves.
Chhabi Nayak, head of the managing committee at Ranjit's school, explained that the rising cost of essential ingredients like cooking oil, vegetables, and potatoes has forced the school to cut corners. "We’ve had to switch to cheaper types of lentils and skip nutritious vegetables like carrots to stretch the budget," he said.
According to a central bank study published in August, India’s food inflation has averaged 6.3 per cent between June 2020 and June 2024, compared to 2.9 per cent in the previous four years. While inflation slightly eased in July and August, it is expected to have risen again in recent months, making it even harder for schools to provide nutritious meals to the country's most vulnerable children.
(With Reuters Inputs)
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