92% of Karnataka students take midday meals, state ranks joint sixth

Karnataka has achieved a 92% uptake of midday meals among enrolled students, placing it joint sixth with Odisha, Sikkim, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh, according to a report by Azim Premji University. The national average is 76.2%. Goa leads with 97%, followed by Meghalaya (96%) and Nagaland (95%). Bihar has the lowest uptake at 60%.

The report, titled Realising right: A handbook of welfare in India, points to gaps between enrolment, approved coverage, and actual meal availing. Former ISEC faculty member AS Seetharamu cited reasons such as dropouts, late enrolments, and separate attendance registers for class and meals. Karnataka spends above the per-meal cost of Rs 5.37, adding Rs 6.26 per child per day for milk under Ksheera Bhagya Yojana and Rs 6 for eggs or bananas six days a week.

Only 10.5% of Karnataka's schools use centralised kitchens, far behind Delhi (100%) and Goa (99%). The report also noted innovative additions in some states: Karnataka provides ragi malt with milk and jaggery, while Uttar Pradesh gives seasonal fruit and Rajasthan offers milk.