Delhi MCD to seek reasons for gaps in school midday meal uptake

A gap between a school’s attendance register and its midday meal count could bring a written query to the principal.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has asked principals at its schools to encourage every student present to take the midday meal. In an August 25 communication, Anita Naudiyal, deputy director of education for MCD’s South Zone, said the corporation would monitor meal reports submitted by schools.

Where a large number of children are marked present but do not take the meal, the principal must explain the reasons on the school’s letterhead, the communication said. It added that MCD would treat such discrepancies as negligence by the school in-charge.

Education committee deputy chairman Amit Kharkhari said the purpose was to ensure that school in-charges actively encourage children to take the meal, adding that no action was planned against them.

The scheme serves 1,497 MCD schools and 41 corporation-aided schools through 18 dedicated kitchens run by 14 voluntary organisations. The education department has set aside an estimated ₹99 crore for the 2026-27 academic session.

MCD will compare schools’ attendance records with their midday meal reports as part of the monitoring process.