Extended Mid Day meal Scheme to the Upper Primary School Children

New Delhi: Extending the mid-day meal scheme to Class 6 to Class 8 students in the upper primary schools, the Central Government on Thursday revised the funding pattern for the Sarva Siskha Abhyian (SSA).

The meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh also decided to enhance the purview of old age pension scheme to the eldest and oldest citizens who belongs to households below poverty line.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the proposal to revise the centrally-sponsored national programme of the nutritional support to primary education.

Thus the government extended the mid-day meal scheme to the upper primary school children in 3479 educationally backward blocks during the current financial year. The government decided to extend the scheme to all areas across the country.

The rationale for extension of the scheme to the upper primary stage of education was derived from the importance of the age group 11-14 in terms of children’s physical and mental development. The government also fixed the caloric value of the mid day meal for upper primary at 700 calories and 20 grams of protein per student.

It approved the assistance to construct kitchen-cum-store in upper primary schools at a cost of Rs. 60,000 per unit. Faced with the problem of lack of funds in the States, the Union Cabinet on Thursday revised the Centre-State funding pattern for Sarva Siksha Abhyian (SSA).

In a bid to assist the States in implementation of national flagship programme for universalization of elementary education, The Central Government modified the funding pattern in such way that it could reach 50:50 in the last year of the 11th five-year plan. The pattern would be 65:35 (2007-8), 60:40 (2009-2010), 55:45 (2010-2011) and 50:50 (2011-12).

Extended Mid Day meal Scheme to the Upper Primary School Children

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