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On Nutrient Intake of Children 1
In a 2010 discussion paper (Impact of School Meals) by Farzana Afridi, it was found that Summary
children’s nutrient intake in Madhya Pradesh was higher on a school day (increased by 49% to Mid-day meal has a positive impact
100%) and that mid-day meal also tackled iron deficiency – this reduced by 10% on school days.
on enrolment, attendance, and
retention in schools.

2.2 Akshaya Patra Impact Studies

Akshaya Patra reaches out to 1,675,008 children of 13,839 schools in 32 locations across 12
states of India, providing them with freshly cooked meal on school days. The Foundation has It is also evident that the nutritious
time and again collaborated with reputed survey firms to measure the impact of its Mid-day meals served in schools are helping
Meal Programme. improve the nutritional status of the
children.
Impact Assessment and Satisfaction Survey 2
An impact and satisfaction study undertaken by Nielsen (India) Private Limited to assess the
long term impact of Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal Programme, it showed that nutritious meal
served by the Foundation has helped in improving the attention span in classroom. The study In establishing the impact of the
also revealed that the meal served in the school was the first complete meal of the day for programme, these findings stress
around 30% students. on the need to continue with its
implementation.
Assessment of Mid-Day Meal Programme in 8 States 3
In the 2014 study conducted by Sigma Research and Consulting Pvt. Ltd., to establish the
need, impact, and continuance of Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal Programme, all states showed
highly impressive attendance rates of above 90 percent. Furthermore, it also showed that the
programme promotes social equity, with children having mid-day meals together irrespective of
caste, religion or economic class in all the states.

Source:
1. http://www.im4change.org/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Reetika%20Khera.pdf
2. https://www.akshayapatra.org/impact_reports/Impact-assessment-on-MDM-prgm-in-bengaluru-
and-telangana.pdf
3. https://www.akshayapatra.org/impact_reports/sigma-study-2014.pdf

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