Editing Midday Meal Scheme (section)

=== Supreme court order ===
In April 2001, the [[People's Union for Civil Liberties]] (PUCL) initiated the [[Public interest law|Public Interest Litigation]] (Civil) No. 196/2001, People's Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India & Others<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.sccommissioners.org/Reports/Reports/SCC6_1005.pdf|title = Sixth Report Of the Commissioners|last = Dr. N.C. Saxena|access-date = 28 July 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062955/http://www.sccommissioners.org/Reports/Reports/SCC6_1005.pdf|archive-date = 4 March 2016|url-status = dead}}</ref> – popularly known as the "right to food" case. The PUCL argued that [[s:Constitution of India/Part III#Article 21 .7BProtection of life and personal liberty.7D|article 21]] – "right to life" of the Indian constitution when read together with articles [[s:Constitution of India/Part IV#Article 39 .7BCertain principles of policy to be followed by the State.7D|39]](a) and [[s:Constitution of India/Part IV#Article 47 .7BDuty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health.7D|47]], makes the right to food a derived [[Fundamental Rights in India|fundamental right]] which is enforceable by virtue of the constitutional remedy provided under [[s:Constitution of India/Part III#Article 32 .7BRemedies for enforcement of rights conferred by this Part.7D|article 32]] of the constitution. The PUCL argued that excess food stocks with the [[Food Corporation of India]] should be fed to hungry citizens. This included providing midday meals in primary schools. The scheme came into force with the supreme court order dated 28 November 2001,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_scorders.html |title=Right to Food Campaign: Mid Day Meals |publisher=Righttofoodindia.org |date=20 October 2009 |access-date=28 July 2013 |archive-date=1 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601200029/http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_scorders.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> which requires all government and government-assisted primary schools to provide cooked midday meals.<ref name=":7">{{cite web|url = http://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/Documents/mdm_primer.pdf|title = Mid Day Meals: A Primer|access-date = 28 July 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150716151500/http://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/Documents/mdm_primer.pdf|archive-date = 16 July 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref>

==== Interim orders ====
The Supreme Court occasionally issues interim orders regarding midday meals.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.righttofoodindia.org/orders/interimorders.html|title = Legal Action: Supreme Court Orders|access-date = 28 July 2013}}</ref> Some examples are:<ref name=":7" />
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Order regarding !! Exact text !! Order dated
|-
| Basic entitlement || "Every child in every place and Government assisted Primary Schools with a prepared midday meal with a minimum content of 300 calories and 8–12 grams of protein each day of school for a minimum of 200 days" || 28 November 2001<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.righttofoodindia.org/orders/nov28.html|title = SUPREME COURT ORDER OF NOVEMBER 28, 2001|website=Rightoffoodindia.org|access-date = 28 July 2013}}</ref>
|-
| Charges on conversion cost || "The conversion costs for a cooked meal, under no circumstances, shall be recovered from the children or their parents" || 20 April 2004<ref name=":11">{{cite web|url = http://www.righttofoodindia.org/orders/apr2004.html|title = ORDER OF APR 20, 2004|website=Rightoffoodindia.org}}</ref>
|-
| Central assistance || "The Central Government... shall also allocate funds to meet with the conversion costs of food-grains into cooked midday meals" || 20 April 2004<ref name=":11" />
|-
| Kitchen sheds || "The Central Government shall make provisions for construction of kitchen sheds" || 20 April 2004<ref name=":11" />
|-
| Priority to Dalit cooks || "In appointment of cooks and helpers, preference shall be given to Dalits, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes" || 20 April 2004<ref name=":11" />
|-
| Quality safeguards || "Attempts shall be made for better infrastructure, improved facilities (safe drinking water etc.), closer monitoring (regular inspection etc.) and other quality safeguards as also the improvement of the contents of the meal so as to provide nutritious meal to the children of the primary schools" || 20 April 2004<ref name=":11" />
|-
| Drought areas || "In drought affected areas, midday meals shall be supplied even during summer vacations" || 20 April 2004<ref name=":11" />
|}