Official Documents

Entitlements

The National Food Security Act, 2013 guarantees children aged 6-14 years or up to Class VIII, one free mid-day meal every day (except on school holidays) in all schools run by local bodies, government and government aided schools to meet the following nutritional standards

Category	Type of Meal	Calories (Kcal)	Protein (gms)
Lower Primary Classes	Hot Cooked Meal	450	12
Upper primary Classes	Hot Cooked Meal	700	20

Every school shall have facilities for cooking meals, drinking water and sanitation
In urban areas facilities of centralised kitchens for cooking meals may be used, wherever required, as per the guidelines issued by the Central Government

Eligibility

Currently, all children enroled in the following schools are entitled to mid-day meals:

Government schools
Government-aided schools
Schools run by local bodies
Education Guarantee Schools (EGS)
Alternate and Innovative Education (AIE) centres
Madarsas and Maqtabs supported under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
National Child Labour Project (NCLP) schools

Supreme Court Orders

Most of the provisions of earlier Supreme Court orders on midday meals are included in the National Food Security Act 2013. However, these orders (which are not superseded by the Act) include some additional provisions.

28 November 2001 | 2 May 2003 | 20 April 2004

Official Guidelines

Frequently Asked Questions
Guidelines issued by the Government of India in 1995, revised in 2006
Detailed Guidelines and Circulars

Useful Links