TWO noteworthy reports were brought out by the Karnataka Evaluation Authority, an official body working under the Karnataka state government, recently. One evaluates the impact of mid-day meal schemes in Karnataka and (while finding that the scheme was working well in the state) reports that for an alarming number (approximately 2.1 lakh) of children covered by the study, the school lunch was their first meal of the day; for some of them, it was also their only meal. An earlier report had warned about the declining nutrition status of children, many of whom were suffering from severe under-nutrition, and recommended that a state nutrition policy be enacted to tackle this issue.

It should be noted here that under the National Nutrition Mission, such a nutritional policy called “Sampushta Keralam” had been launched in Kerala by adding state-specific targets, including tackling obesity and encouraging breastfeeding. Apart from the efficient implementation of the mid-day meal scheme and providing nutritious supplements through anganwadis, the Women and Child Development department in the state is also organising regular community-based awareness events for pregnant women, adolescent girls and children and monitoring their health. Understanding the problem of under-nutrition, the department has also tied up with Kerala Agricultural University to develop a nutrition bar with sufficient amounts of all required micro-nutrients.

Even as the state has a long way to go to ensure food security in all aspects, it is in the assurance of delivery of these programmes that the government has won most praise. Even when schools all over the country had to be closed and a lockdown enforced in order to tackle the outbreak of Covid19, Kerala was the first state to make sure the food for the students did not stop, with cooked meals being provided where feasible, and dry rations provided for the rest. Even when other states (including Karnataka) halted this scheme in June, the Kerala government ensured the continued supply of food kits to children.

At a time when Karnataka is being projected by the BJP as the efficient model of governance in the south, the Left alternative path taken by the government of Kerala projects a vision of governance that upholds the secular ideals of the constitution and ensures comprehensive development that benefits all sections of the people.