Monitoring and SMS Notification Systems for Mid-Day Meal Program

Abstract

Areal-timemessagenotification system is proposed to enhance communication and coordination within the Mid- DayMeal Program. This system utilizes technologyto deliver timelynotifications andupdates tokeystakeholders, including beneficiaries, schools, suppliers, and program administrators. Additionally, it features a malnutrition assessment module, allowing real-time monitoring of students\' nutritional health. Byensuringswiftdissemination ofcriticalinformationsuchas menu modifications, delivery schedules, and malnutrition analysis,thesystemaimstooptimizeoperationalefficiencyand streamline program execution. This communication tool enhancestransparency,accountability,andengagementamong stakeholders, ultimately supporting the program’s goal of providing nutritious meals to school children. Furthermore, it assistsgovernmentauthoritiesin analysingmalnutritiontrends forinformeddecision-making.Theobjectiveofthispaperisto develop an efficient monitoring system that strengthens the effectiveness of the Mid-Day Meal Program while ensuring accountability and transparency at every level.

Introduction

The Mid-Day Meal (MDM) programme in India is a government initiative aimed at improving children’s nutrition, school attendance, and overall well-being by providing free cooked meals in state and state-supported primary schools. The meals typically include rice, lentils, vegetables, and fortified foods to ensure balanced nutrition. Since its inception in the 1970s and formalization under various national policies, including the National Nutrition Policy (1993) and the National Action Plan for Nutrition (1995), the programme has contributed significantly to reducing hunger, increasing enrolment (especially among girls and marginalized groups), improving retention, and enhancing academic performance.

Several studies highlight the positive impact of MDM on social equity and school participation, though challenges remain, such as infrastructure deficits, inconsistent food quality, occasional food poisoning incidents, and issues in food grain supply chains. Problems like inadequate kitchens, lack of hygiene, poor monitoring, and transport inefficiencies have negatively affected the program’s effectiveness in some regions.

Key challenges include ensuring food safety, meeting nutritional standards, improving infrastructure, managing centralized versus school-based kitchens, and increasing community involvement through social audits. Innovative solutions like mobile-based monitoring systems and SMS notifications have been proposed to enhance transparency and participation.

Despite its success, continuous efforts are needed to address logistical, nutritional, and administrative issues to sustain and improve the MDM programme’s impact on child health and education outcomes.

Conclusion

Insummary,developingmobileapplicationstailoredtolunch programs is a crucial step toward modernization and optimization. The integration of features such as real-time SMS notifications, dietary planning management, and malnutrition assessment enhances communication, improves coordination, and increases efficiency for all stakeholders. A user-friendly interface and comprehensive features make web applications a powerful tool for seamless program implementation, promoting transparency, accessibility, and stakeholder engagement. Looking ahead, continuous user feedback and regular updates basedonevolvingneedswillfurtherenhancetheeffectivenessof these applications. This will ensure better support for program objectives, facilitate the provision of nutritious meals, and contribute to the overall well-being of school children.

References

[1] Elizabeth Abery and Claire Drummond. Implementation of mandatory nutritional guidelines in south australian primary school canteens: aqualitative study.Improving Schools, 17(1):41–53, 2014. [2] FarzanaAfridi,BidishaBarooah,andRohiniSomanathan. School mealsand student participation in urban india. Delhi School of Economics, 2010. [3] Simmi Agnihotri. An assessment of the mid-day meal scheme in india—a study. Indian Journal of Public Administration, 56(3):635– 641, 2010. [4] Simmi Agnihotri. An assessment of the mid-day meal scheme in india—a study. Indian Journal of Public Administration, 56(3):635– 641, 2010. [5] SAli.timeshigherpovertyratesinindianhouseholdswith children: Survey.Business Standard, 3. [6] Vijaya Sherry Chand and Samvet Kuril. Contextualising educationaldecentralisationpoliciesinindia.Economic& Political Weekly, 53(12):107–114, 2018. [7] AjitKumarDeyandAjoyBhusanNath.Nutritionalstatus ofschool goingchildren(6-15years)inasemi-urban area of cachar district,assam.J Evolution Med Dent Sci, 6(54):4057–62, 2017. [8] JeanDrezeandAparajitaGoyal.Futureofmid-daymeals.Economicandpoliticalweekly,pages4673–4683,2003. [9] JeanDre`zeandGeetaGandhiKingdon.Schoolparticipation inruralindia.Reviewof Development Economics, 5(1):1– 24, 2001. [10] Manisha Garg and Kalyan Sankar Mandal. Mid-daymeal for the poor, privatised education for the non-poor. Economic and Political Weekly, pages 155–163, 2013. [11] Rajshri Jayaraman and Dora Simroth. The impact of school lunches on primary school enrollment: Evidence from india’s midday meal scheme.2011. [12] Mohd Zubair Kales. Mid-day meal scheme: A study of different schoolsof district jammu. Scholarly Research Journal for Humanity Science and English Language, 1(5):456–469, 2014. [13] Reetika Khera. Mid-day meals in primary schools: Achievements and challenges. Economic and political weekly, pages 4742–4750, 2006. [14] TattwamasiPaltasinghandPrakashBhue.Efficacyofmid- daymealschemeinindia:challengesandpolicyconcerns. Indian Journal of Public Administration, 68(4):610–623, 2022. [15] TattwamasiPaltasinghandPrakashBhue.Efficacyofmid- daymealschemeinindia:challengesandpolicyconcerns. Indian Journal of Public Administration, 68(4):610–623, 2022. [16] TattwamasiPaltasinghandPrakashBhue.Efficacyofmid- daymealschemeinindia:challengesandpolicyconcerns. Indian Journal of Public Administration, 68(4):610–623, 2022. [17] Sushma Sharma, Santosh Jain Passi, Salila Thomas, and HemaSGopalan.Evaluationofmid-daymealprogramme in mcd schools. Nutrition Foundation of India, Scientific Report, 18, 2006. [18] DipaSinha.Socialauditofmiddaymealscheineinap. EconomicandPoliticalWeekly,pages57–61,2008. [19] RSinha.Ruralindia:focusonnon-agriculturesector.Live Mint E- Paper, 2018.

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Harshal Kishor Mali, Dr. Manoj Ishi, Jatin Vikas Patil, Jidnyesh Dilip Deore, Shubham Gulab Dhangar, Nikita Kiran Patil. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.