{"license":"Free to use with attribution to Vaada Meter (license terms to be finalised)","methodVersion":"1.0","generatedAt":"2026-10-06T07:29:06.469Z","data":{"id":"inc-ls-1991-017","text":"Launch a national mid-day meal programme covering every child in primary schools","quote":"A national Mid-day Meal Programme will be launched to cover every child in primary schools.","quoteIsExact":false,"quoteLanguage":"en","quoteEnglish":null,"page":null,"sector":"education","measurability":"measurable","importance":"headline","deadline":"1996-05-16","deadlineType":"implied","status":"partial","rating":4,"ratingRule":"partial_25","provisional":false,"confidence":"high","reason":"The national programme was launched on 15 August 1995. By February 1996 it covered 3.4 crore of the 11 crore primary children it aimed to reach in three years, about 31%. Most states gave grain rather than cooked meals.","evidence":[{"date":"2004-08-25","sourceType":"manifesto","publisher":"All India Congress Committee (Wayback copy)","title":"Salient Points of Previous Manifestos (1991 and 1996 extracts)","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20040825152122/http://www.aicc.org.in:80/manifesto-1996.htm","quote":"A national Mid-day Meal Programme will be launched to cover every child in primary schools.","stance":"context"},{"date":"1996-02-28","sourceType":"budget","publisher":"Ministry of Finance","title":"Interim Budget Speech 1996-97","url":"https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/doc/bspeech/bs199697(I).pdf","quote":"The Mid-day Meal Programme is intended to improve nutrition and school attendance of 11 crore children in classes I to IV in 3 years. In the first year of the scheme 3.4 crore children have already been covered.","stance":"supports"},{"date":null,"sourceType":"statistics","publisher":"Ministry of Finance","title":"Economic Survey 1995-96, ch. 10 Social Sectors","url":"https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/budget_archive/es1995-96/10%20Social%20sectors.pdf","quote":"The National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (Mid-Day Meal Programme) launched from 15th August 1995","stance":"supports"},{"date":null,"sourceType":"statistics","publisher":"Ministry of Finance","title":"Economic Survey 1996-97, ch. 10 Social Sectors","url":"https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/budget_archive/es96-97/10%20Social%20sectors.pdf","quote":"Seven States, namely, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu and UT of Pondicherry are serving cooked meals. In rest of the States/UTs foodgrains are being distributed.","stance":"supports"}],"tags":["mid-day-meal","nutrition"],"sensitive":false,"memeLine":"Every child was promised lunch; about a third got it before the bell rang on the term.","review":{"state":"ai_draft","draftedBy":"research-agent","draftedAt":"2026-10-05","reviewedBy":null,"approvedBy":null},"manifestoId":"inc-ls-1991","partyId":"inc","electionId":"ls-1991"}}