Several kingdoms collapsed, villages were looted and the poor migrated in search of new livelihood as the sovereign country came into existence. Despite some bellies embraced the freedom of the nation, there were some who went to bed without a meal and ended up in a state of destitution.

Some of us may have heard of stories about our ancestors holding up huge lands and living a lavish, yet simple life. A majority of the population and income came from agriculture during this time, but land ownership and outdated technology discouraged farming among the locals.

Since the economy and market opportunities in the early decades were weak, growth was emphasized above, poverty and agriculture. Hence, following independence, it became harder for many to retain such holdings due to the fall in rupee value.

After independence, the question of survival loomed large over India where it had to deal with the increasing poverty and poor nutrition affecting the new generation.

To cope with the rising food scarcity, many initiatives were introduced by the government. Among such programmes was The Mid Day Meal Scheme, announced as a way to provide schools with free lunches and address important social needs. Education, health, living standards or many other aspects of life take a back seat when something as basic as food is an issue but this initiative emphasized two primary goals of uplifting children with quality education and fulfilling their good nutritional needs.

On working days, it provided food to children enrolled in primary and upper primary classes of local government-aid bodies. In addition, it even encouraged parents to send their children to school instead of leaving them unattended to hunt for food.

Despite having been implemented on 15th August 1995, the seeds for this initiative were already planted before independence.

In 1925, there was a Madras Municipal Corporation, where children without formal education worked. It was through the corporation that at the very least they would receive a meal a day, and this is how the idea spread through the nation. The states of Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Pondicherry introduced the cooked midday meal program universally by the mid-20th century.

Having already embarked on the process, the central government took the initiative to push this cause even further and began implementing the Mid Day Meal Programme under the National Program for Nutrition Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE). As a result, it has been improvised and retained over the years to provide better nutrition and education to underprivileged children. Not only that, but the program created an environment where children could sit together and eat their meals without bringing up social barriers.

Basically, every meal is both intended to feed the stomachs and the economy.

Initially, the program was principally sponsored by centers, but it became legal in 2001 for all districts to offer the program and link it with quality education.

In 2001, SC orders directed the Union and State Government to fully implement these schemes, and the benefits of these plans were converted into legal rights.

As a whole, the program has ensured that no child in this country goes hungry solely because of their economic or social circumstances. With the guarantee of the meal, it has encouraged marginalized families to have access to education, which is essentially their right as citizens.

While the programme has seen many changes since its implementation, it serves 12 million children per day and complies with the very basic goal of primary education as determined by the constitution.

Although the pandemic has worsened the situation, the country still suffers from acute poverty, and most people are deprived of a basic meal. However, the country that gave us the freedom of being self-reliant and independent still flies high and strives for the satisfaction of no one sleeping with an empty stomach or disheartened smile.