When was the Mid-Day Meal program launched?

Appeared in: Punjab CHO - 2021

Explanation

The Mid-Day Meal Scheme was officially launched as a centrally sponsored national program on August 15, 1995.
Its original name was the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE).
The primary objective was to enhance primary education enrollment, retention, and attendance while also improving the nutritional levels of students.

Option A: This is incorrect. While a school lunch program was in operation in some states since 1961, the national, centrally sponsored scheme was not launched in 1965.
Option B: This is incorrect. 1975 is a significant year for another major national program.
Option C: This year is not associated with the launch of the national Mid-Day Meal Scheme.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Launch year and key features of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (PM-POSHAN) as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Community health nurses play a vital role in the success of the PM-POSHAN scheme by monitoring children's growth (height, weight), identifying signs of malnutrition, and ensuring food hygiene standards are met.
Nurses are responsible for health education, promoting handwashing, and coordinating with schools for deworming and iron-folic acid supplementation to maximize the nutritional benefits of the meal.
What if? If a nurse observes several children with signs of foodborne illness after a mid-day meal, the immediate priority is to assess the affected children, provide first aid, inform school authorities and local health officials for investigation, and ensure the contaminated food source is isolated.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core of the question, which is asking for the launch date of a specific national program ('Mid-Day Meal program').
This is a factual recall question common in community health nursing.
Scan the options, which are all years. This confirms you need to remember a specific date.
Mentally review the timeline of major Indian health and nutrition programs. Associate ICDS with 1975, and the national Mid-Day Meal Scheme with the mid-1990s.
Select the year that matches the launch of the 'National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education', which is 1995.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Launch year and key features of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (PM-POSHAN).
Stem keywords: Mid-Day Meal program, launched
Lead-in keywords: When

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E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-232 of 464) p. 198-200

E6 textbook of Applied Biochemistry and Nutrition & DieteticsHarbans Lal (pp 26-464 of 479) p. 428-430

Practise the full Punjab CHO - 2021

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.