School Meals in the Time of COVID-19:
Impact and Responses in India

This session delves into the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDM) implementation by State Governments during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. MDM leaders from Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh will share their experiences in a moderated plenary discussion. Hear from Donald Bundy, Professor of Epidemiology and Development, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, author of over 390 scientific books and publications on the role of public health in development.

Nearly 1.5 billion learners in more than 180 countries are affected by school closures from the COVID-19 outbreak. In particular, the most vulnerable households who rely on these daily meals for their children have felt the greatest impact on their food security and nutrition. In India, schools have been suspended since March 2020 to contain the spread of this highly communicable disease. With no clarity on the resumption of in-premises schooling, India’s Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme, which reaches more than 100 million schoolchildren, faces one of its toughest implementation phases since its launch. Our two-part webinar series aims to catalyze timely and relevant knowledge sharing during this critical period.