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International DevelopmentHuman capitalPositive

India Midday Meal Scheme

Indian Central Government / State governments · India (national, with state variation) · 2002

Summary

India's Midday Meal Scheme became the largest school feeding program in the world. The staggered state rollout created a natural experiment allowing researchers to isolate effects from cross-state variation in timing. Enrollment and attendance rose substantially, particularly for girls—suggesting that daily meals addressed a key barrier to girls' schooling in contexts where families must weigh children's time allocation. The scheme is estimated to serve over 120 million children, making it a critical lens for understanding how in-school nutrition programs compare to cash transfers for educational outcomes.

Research question

"Does providing free cooked meals at school increase enrollment, attendance, and child nutrition?"

Methodology

Intervention

Cooked mid-day meals provided to all children in government primary schools nationwide

Assignment

Quasi-experimental (difference-in-differences exploiting staggered state rollout)

Sample size

~120 million children; district-level variation across states

Primary outcome

School enrollment; attendance; gender gap in education; child nutrition

Effect estimate

Enrollment: +14% in treatment states vs. untreated; attendance: +6 pp; gender gap in enrollment narrowed by ~23%; caloric intake improved for eligible children

Decision

Scheme made universal and permanent; Supreme Court ordered implementation in all states; WHO and UNICEF cited as model school feeding program

Result

Positive

Enrollment: +14% in treatment states vs. untreated; attendance: +6 pp; gender gap in enrollment narrowed by ~23%; caloric intake improved for eligible children

Evidence strength

Moderate

Quasi-experimental design; causal interpretation requires care.

Replication status

Partially replicated

Institution

Indian Central Government / State governments

Location

India (national, with state variation)

Year

2002

Policy area

International Development

Mechanism

Human capital

Other trials of this mechanism

Cite this entry

Indian Central Government / State governments. (2002). India Midday Meal Scheme. The Experiment Society Registry. Retrieved from https://www.experimentsociety.org/registry/india-midday-meal-scheme (primary report: https://doi.org/10.1086/660986)

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