Best Practices in Mid-Day-Meal

Innovative Practices followed in the State :

Dining Hall for MDM Programme :

In pursuance to the direction of the Honorable Supreme Court of India, the State Government began providing cooked meal to the eligible primary (I to V) school children on all school days since 1st April 2003 under Mid-Day-Meal Programme and from the year 2008 to all the children of classes VI to VIII (Upper primary level). Presently, Government of India is providing central assistance under the component of cooking cost to the state Government @ Rs.3.47 per child per school day in the Primary and Rs.5.20 in the Upper Primary stage. Against the central assistance, the State contribution is Rs. 0.50 per child per school day in the Primary and Rs.0.58 in the Upper Primary stage. Besides, the GoI providing necessary fund for the components like honorarium to cook-cum-helper and construction of kitchen-cum-store by the 90:10 Central-State contribution system. There is no provision for making well sitting arrangement for taking mid-day meal in the school. Tripura is the only state in the country intending to construct dining halls in the school premises from its own resources.

Objectives: The Department has taken the initiative of construction of dining hall in the schools with the objective of giving the children an opportunity to sit together and eat their meal (MDM) comfortably and hygienically.
Salient Features:
Structure: Unit Cost of Dining Hall - Rs. 14.60 / 25.00 Lakhs.(Approximately)
Size of Dining Hall - Capacity to sit and take meal for 50/100 students at a time.
Type of Construction - Permanent Pucca construction.
Implementation - Implementing Authority School Education Department, Govt. of Tripura
Project Completion time per unit - 2-3 months.
Strategies : The School Education Department, Govt. of Tripura is being implementing the constructions of dining halls through the help of PWD (R & B) and Tripura Housing Development & Construction Board, Govt. of Tripura. The approval of necessary fund and expenditure sanction are also being accorded by the School Education Department when fund is available.
Impact : The project of construction of dining hall in school premises have a very effective and positive impact. By this project it has become possible to provide better infrastructure facility for the benefit of the students. The children are taking their mid-day meals in a healthy, hygiene and disciplined manner.
This initiative really improved the eagerness of the students to take mid-day meal and can prevent the unwanted incident to some extent. 
Summary : In some of the selected schools, construction of dining halls have already been completed and in some schools construction works are going on. The department has started such innovative project for the benefit of the children of the state by its own limited resources. The Deptt. intends to construct more dining halls in phase manner. All the MPs(Tripura) were also requested to provide fund for construction of dining hall in his / her area.
Present status of dining hall in the State:
No. School Units having Dining Hall facility - 35
No. School Units where Dining Halls are under construction - 15 
Replicability : As the project has a good impact for the benefit of the students the project can be implemented throughout the state in phase manner when necessary fund will be available.

Kitchen Garden :

In Tripura the school house / buildings are situated in own land of School Education Department. Most of the school have available land. To use these unused lands in a positive manner the School Education Department decided to grow up kitchen gardens which can improve the quality of Mid-Day-Meal.
Objectives: The Department has taken the initiative of growing kitchen garden in the schools with the objective of giving the children more nutritious & pesticide free food by using the vegetables like cabbage, potato, tomato, bringer, radish etc. grown in the kitchen gardens. At present per day per child contribution for cooking cost is very low in present price hike days. The production of kitchen garden will be helpful to supplement more protein & calorie to the children.
Salient Features:
Structure: Unit Cost for growing Kitchen Garden Rs. 1000.00 to 15000.00
Land Owned by School Authority
Size of Kitchen Garden As per available land
Implementation : Implementing Authority :School Authority.
Strategies : The School Education Department, Govt. of Tripura is being growing kitchen gardens in some school premises through students ( using the Work Education classes). The approval of necessary fund and expenditure sanction are also being accorded by the school authority as and when fund is necessary. In some schools the horticulture Department, Govt. of Tripura has provide funds for grow up kitchen garden. Man-Days can be provided by the Gram Panchayet from MGNREGA.
Impact : The project of growing up kitchen gardens in school premises have a very effective and positive impact. By this project it has become possible to provide better nutritious pesticide free food to the students. The children are also taking delicious mid-day meal which is healthy too. This initiative really improved the eagerness of the students to take mid-day meal.
Summary : Kitchen garden though is yet to gain popularity, however, in a few schools of the state the school authorities have grown up beautiful kitchen gardens. This practice is being encouraged in all the schools. The Gram Panchayets / Nagar Panchayets / have been requested to provide some man-days from the MGNREGA. At present there are 55 school units, where Kitchen Garden is available.
Replicability : As the practice has a good impact over the benefit of the students the project can be implemented throughout the state.

Tasting of Cooked food before serving to the children:

In pursuance to the direction of the Honorable Supreme Court of India, the State Government began providing cooked meal to the eligible primary (I to V) school children on all school days since 1st April 2003 under Mid-Day-Meal Programme and from the year 2008 to all the children of classes VI to VIII (Upper primary level). To prevent unwanted incidence like food poisoning etc.. the practice of Cooked food testing before serving to the children has been introduced.

Objectives: The Department has introduced the practice of tasting of cooked food before serving it actually to the children with the objectives to prevent unwanted incidence like food poisoning etc.. and also to determine whether the cooked is consumable by the children.
Salient Features:
Structure: Food tasting register As per prescribed format developed by School Education Deptt.
Implementation : Implementing Authority : School Authority. 
Strategies : The School Education Department, Govt. of Tripura has introduced the practice of tasting of cooked food under MDM Programme with the following strategies. Under the practice of tasting of cooked food every day cooked food (mid-day meal) m ust be tested by the assigned teacher first, secondly by one of the cook-cum-helpers and lastly by at least one mother / parent and they will write their comments in the specific food Tasting Register kept in every school before actually serving the Mid-Day-Meal to the students. The HM or the Teacher in-charge of the school also must conduct random checks of the food prepared before serving to the students.
Impact : The practice of tasting of cooked food under MDM Programme have a very effective and positive impact. By this practice it is possible to maintain the quality of cooked food under MDM Programme and also to provide delicious mid-day meal to the children which is healthy too.
Summary : The practice of tasting of cooked food under MDM Programme are being implementing in all school units where MDM Programme is implemented.
Replicability : As the practice has a good impact over the benefit of the students the practice can be implemented in other state also.

Practice of Hand Wash :

It has established that the affection of some disease like Cholera, Dieria etc.. can be minimised by washing our hand before taking meal and after going to toilet.
Objectives: The Department has introduced the practice of Hand Wash before taking meal and after going to toilet in each school units the objectives to minimise the affection possibilities of some diseases like Cholera, Dieria etc so that children can live a healthy life.
Salient Features: 
Structure: Hand Wash place : Constructed by the school authority.
Soap for Hand Wash Provided by the School Education Deptt. form MME fund under MDM Programme.
Implementation : Implementing Authority School Authority.
Strategies : The School Education Department, Govt. of Tripura has introduced the practice of Hand Wash before taking meal and after going to toilet in each school units. Under this practice every student wash their hand before taking meal and after going to toilet with soap. The cook-cum-helpers also do follow this practice. Moreover for better implementation of the practice the cook-cum-helpers were also instructed to check whether the children has washed their hands before taking their meal or not.
Impact : The practice of Hand Wash before taking meal and after going to toilet has a very effective and positive impact. By this practice it is possible to generate awareness among the school going children about the goodness of clean and hygiene.
Summary : The practice of Hand Wash before & after taking meal and after going to toilet is being implementing in all school units where MDM Programme is implemented. 
Replicability : As the practice has a good impact over the benefit of the students the practice can be implemented in other state also.

Uniform Weekly Menu for MDM Programme:

In pursuance to the direction of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, the State Government began providing cooked meal to the eligible primary (I to V) school children on all school days since 1st April 2003 under Mid-Day-Meal Programme and from the year 2008 to all the children of classes VI to VIII (Upper primary level). To provide equal and similar nutrition support to all the children, the Deptt. has introduced a common uniform Weekly Menu for mid-day meal Programme.
Objectives: The Department has introduced the Uniform Weekly Menu for MDM Programme with the objectives to provide nutritional support uniformly throughout the state under MDM Programme.
Salient Features: 

Strategies : The School Education Department, Govt. of Tripura has introduced the Uniform Weekly Menu for MDM Programme under the supervision of State level ,District level and Block level departmental officers, PRI Bodies, local guardians etc.. The school authorities have been instructed to maintain the daily menu as prescribed by the Department.
Impact : The introduction of Uniform Weekly Menu for MDM Programme has a very effective and positive impact. By this the children are being equally benefiting throughout the state Nutritionally under MDM Programme.
Summary : Same menu are being served for the day in the entire state. The menu chart has been displayed in the prominent places of school building for awareness.

Fixed common weekly menu chart is as follows:

In the present weekly menu there are provision to provide two full eggs in a week, green vegetable twice in a week and dal once in a week ( in mode of khichudi) which will fulfil the nutritional gap of school going children 
Replicability : As the practice has a good impact over the benefit of the students. The practice can be implemented in other state also.