Telangana Launches Breakfast and Milk Scheme to Boost School Nutrition

The Government of Telangana has launched its flagship Student Breakfast and Milk Scheme for government schools, providing hot breakfast and nutritional milk support to students from pre-primary up to Class XII. The scheme is designed to improve school attendance, boost nutritional intake, and reduce dropout rates among senior secondary students.

1. Evolution of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (PM POSHAN)

The mid-day meal scheme has a long history in India's social welfare policy:

• The scheme was first introduced at the state level in Tamil Nadu in the 1950s under Chief Minister K. Kamaraj.
• It was launched nationally on August 15, 1995, as the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE), providing dry rations to school children. It was later modified to provide hot cooked meals.
• In 2021, the scheme was renamed PM POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman). It covers students in primary and upper primary classes of government and government-aided schools.

2. Constitutional Provisions: Article 47

The scheme aligns with Article 47 of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) in the Constitution of India. Article 47 states that it is the duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people, and to improve public health as one of its primary duties.

3. Impact of Nutrition on Cognitive Development

Providing hot breakfast and milk in schools helps address short-term hunger, which can improve concentration and cognitive performance among students. Nutritional intervention is also a key tool to combat malnutrition, stunting, and wasting, supporting physical and intellectual development during early childhood and adolescence.