#MidDayMeal Scheme – rates of food grains revised
Revision of rates of food grains from below poverty line (BPL) rates to National Food Security Act (NFSA) rates under Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS)
Under the Mid Day Meal Scheme, hot cooked meals are served to 10.20 crore children in 11.56 lakh Government and Government aided elementary schools on all school days. The Scheme also has a provision for serving of meals to the students in the eligible schools during summer vacations in areas where drought is declared by States / UTs. The cost of foodgrains is fully borne by the Central Government. The foodgrains i.e. rice and wheat are supplied by Food Corporation of India (FCI) and in some cases by the State Food & Civil Supplies Corporations. The BPL rates are Rs. 5.65 per kg. for rice and Rs. 4.15 per kg. for wheat. During 2015-16, 23.19 lakh tonnes of rice and 4.56 lakh tonnes of wheat was allocated to States and UTs under the Scheme.
As mandated under the NFSA, 2013, the Mid Day Meal Rules, 2015 were notified in September, 2015 which made the MDM Scheme eligible for supply of foodgrains at NFSA rates i.e. Rs. 2 and Rs. 3 per kg. for wheat and rice respectively.
Additional expenditure on subsidy arising out of the above decision will be borne by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.
