The mid-day meal scheme (MDMS) is one of the biggest such programmes in the world. But irregularities in its implementation have led to numerous controversies and tarnished its image, the latest being the shocking deaths of 23 children in Bihar, caused by the insecticide-contaminated food they were served. A close look reveals that while government expenditure on the scheme has surged, several states still do not have adequate infrastructure in place to run it. Surprisingly, some of India's most developed states fare poorly at implementation.
Graphic by Santosh
Research by Jyotindra Dubey
