The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in India have entered into a partnership to enhance the effectiveness of the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (formerly mid-day meal scheme).
Context
The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in India have entered into a partnership to enhance the effectiveness of the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (formerly mid-day meal scheme).
Key-points
- India was strategically important for the School Meals Coalition that was launched in 2020 with WFP as a coordinating body, as it implemented the largest school feeding programme in the world.
- The partnership is a strategic force multiplier bringing deep work and experience together.
- Since its inception in 1961, school meals have been part of WFP’s mission.
- WFP has six decades of experience supporting school feeding, and working with more than 100 countries to set up sustainable national school feeding programmes.
Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF)
- The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF) is an NGO for children in India which implements the Mid-day meal scheme in a number of states in India.
- Mid-Day Meal Scheme is a centrally-sponsored Scheme that provides children studying in Classes I-VIII of government and government aided schools with cooked mid-day meals.
- The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been awarded the BBC World Service’s Global Food Champion 2019.
- Global Food Champion is an annual award that honours people or projects that are changing the way the world produces, processes, consumes or thinks about food for the better.
Mid-day Meal Scheme
- The Mid-day Meal scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Human resources and Development.
- The key objectives of the MDMS is to-
- improve the nutritional status of children
- improve enrollment, attendance and retention rates in schools and EGS/AIE centres (Alternative and Innovative Education Centres)
- Both the Centre and the state governments contribute funds for the scheme, with the menu differing in each state according to local factors.
World Food Programme (WFP)
- The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations.
- It is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, the largest one focused on hunger and food security, and the largest provider of school meals.
- The World Food Programme Founded in 1961.
- It is headquartered in Rome.
- WFP is an executive member of the United Nations Development Group, a consortium of UN entities that aims to fulfil the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), with a priority on achieving SDG 2 for “zero hunger” by 2030.
- The World Food Programme was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its efforts to provide food assistance in areas of conflict, and to prevent the use of food as a weapon of war and conflict.
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