Role of ngos in supporting the mid-day meal scheme in india

27/02/26

Blog

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Launched in 1955, India’s mid-day meal scheme is reportedly the largest meal programme of its kind in the world. Today, the programme has been restructured and made stronger under the name of PM-POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman), covering over 11.80 crore children across 11.20 lakh schools in India. The mid-day meal scheme has been a win-win situation. At one end, it acted as an incentive for several underprivileged families where education is a choice. Knowing their children will have access to one full meal everyday, many families agreed to send their children to school. 

On the other hand, mid-day meal schemes meant better attention in studies and regular attendance. However, like every other benefit programme, the mid-day meal scheme is also dependent on MDM implementation. This includes timely delivery, safe cooking, maintaining hygiene, and monitoring. This is where NGOs come in. 

In this blog you’ll learn about:

• The structure of PM-POSHAN
• PPP models 
• How NGOs impact the mid-day meal scheme ecosystem 
• The common hurdles and ways to collaborate

What is the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (PM-POSHAN) in India?

The mid-day meal programme was created with one single goal in mind; to support child nutrition so that they attend school and never give up on learning. In time, the midday programme transformed into PM-POSHAN, which now has clearer objectives and expanded coverage norms.

PM-POSHAN supports children in Bal Vatika and Classes I-VIII studying in government and government-aided schools. Certain other eligible categories as defined in scheme guidelines are also supported. 

Under the scheme, children are promised a hot cooked meal that meets minimum nutrient norms for different ages as follows:

• For children in the primary: 450 calories & 12g protein
• For children in the Upper primary: 700 calories & 20g protein

The Importance of Public-Private Partnerships in MDM

Considering the mid-day meal scheme serves over 11 crore children, the government can’t help but struggle with operational overload. This makes more sense, especially in certain parts of the country where schools are located in remote areas with poor infrastructure. 

PPP models are a practical response to many such real-time problems aiming to deliver the following: 

• Opening and managing of a centralised kitchen to cook meals in large batches under tight control and transport the same to multiple schools.
• Working with a professional operator (including NGO-run kitchens) to build standard operating procedures, like cleaning routines, staff hygiene checks, raw material storage rules, batch controls, temperature discipline, and periodic audits.
• Enhancing monitoring capacity with data logs, route tracking, complaint escalation, and third-party checks. 

Key Contributions of NGOs to the Mid-Day Meal Scheme

NGOs have contributed to the Mid-day meal scheme in more than one way. While some operate meal kitchens directly through partnership models, others can strengthen the school nutrition ecosystem. 

Here’s a closer look at the most common contributions of NGOs to improve MDM implementation. 

• Monitoring cooking quality across centralised kitchens with standard recipes, uniform portions, predictable dispatch times, and fewer disruptions – especially in school clusters. 

• Setting up structured systems for hygiene training, safe water standards, pest control routines, sample retention, and periodic inspections. 

• Maintaining vehicles, route planning, and dispatch controls to reduce delivery delays and keep meals safe during transport.

• Training kitchen staff and on-ground teams can raise compliance: hand hygiene, safe chopping practices, cleaning schedules, storage segregation, and emergency protocols.

Organisations such as Bal Raksha Bharat (also known as Save the Children India) work broadly on children’s well-being, health, nutrition, protection, and education, supporting the environment that makes school feeding more effective. For example, awareness and community support around child nutrition and safety.

Impact of NGO-Run Mid-Day Meal Programmes

When meals are consistent, safe, and nutritionally adequate, the benefits extend beyond “one plate of food.” Evidence and programme logic typically show outcomes across three areas:

• Nutrition and health outcomes: A review of PM-POSHAN/MDM literature reports positive links with nutrition-related outcomes and educational performance, while recognising that results depend on meal quality, regularity, and context.
• Attendance, attention, and learning: A child who is less hungry is more likely to attend school and focus. For parents, midday meals can reduce the pressure of sending lunch daily, especially where incomes are tight or food insecurity exists.
• Social and equity effects: Shared meals can reduce social barriers and bring children together in a common routine. When a programme reaches scale fairly, it can improve participation for children who are most at risk of dropping out.

Challenges Faced by NGOs in MDM Implementation and Fixes

Even strong operators face real hurdles. Being honest about these helps improve the system. Here’s a look at the key challenges of MDM implementation. 

Funding gaps and cost inflation

Fuel, kitchen maintenance, compliance, and staffing costs can rise faster than budgets. NGOs often bridge gaps via CSR and donations, but sustainability requires predictable financing.

Logistics in remote or difficult terrain

Centralised kitchens don’t fit every geography. Long distances can affect timeliness and food safety. Hybrid models (smaller kitchens, decentralised cooking, satellite kitchens) may be more suitable in some regions.

Quality control risks

At a large scale, a small lapse can become a big issue. That’s why continuous training, strict SOPs, inspections, and fast corrective action are non-negotiable.

Compliance and coordination complexity

NGOs coordinate with schools, local administration, vendors, and monitoring structures. Delays in supplies, staffing gaps, or local disruptions can affect daily delivery.

Digital logs (where feasible), school feedback channels, and time-bound issue resolution can reduce risk and improve trust. Parents and school committees should have simple ways to raise concerns.

Conclusion

The mid-day meal scheme under PM-POSHAN succeeds when implementation is reliable: safe cooking, clean kitchens, timely delivery, and accountable monitoring. NGOs strengthen this daily engine through PPP models, especially in places where centralised kitchens and structured logistics can raise quality and consistency. For parents, it supports learning readiness. 

For CSR and donors, it’s a high-impact way to back child nutrition at scale when partnerships prioritise safety, transparency, and geography-fit delivery. Stronger collaboration can make MDM implementation more resilient and its outcomes more meaningful.

Donate with Bal Raksha Bharat and make a difference today. 

Naveen Kumar

“Naveen is an SEO expert and digital marketing analyst at Bal Raksha Bharat with a passion for helping businesses grow online. With a data-driven approach, he specializes in boosting search rankings, driving traffic, and optimizing digital strategies. Follow for tips on SEO, content, and marketing trends."