The Mid-Day Meal feeds millions of schoolgoing Indian children daily, and has widely been considered one of India’s most successful welfare programs. Two economists who have been instrumental in its success, Jean Drèze and Reetika Khera, will uncover the history of this program, but also remind us that because what's on plates is always political, the future of welfare too, is uncertain. A focused discussion on the contentious introduction of the egg in the meal will, in particular, reveal how sometimes, unfortunately, political interests can trump the basic human right to food and nutrition.

Topics covered in this episode:


Min 0:00: What is the Mid-Day Meal?

Min 1:50: Meet Jean Drèze

Min 2:14: Benefits of the Mid-Day Meal

Min 6:04: Criticisms of the program

Min 7:00: Meet Reetika Khera

Min 10:31: A strong case for the inclusion of eggs

Min 12:51: The politics behind the egg

Min 17:52: Why eggs over other sources of protein

Min 24:11: Lobbying attempts by the biscuit industry

Min 26:48: What Mid-Day Meal looks like today



Learn more about this episode of Bad Table Manners at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG and Twitter at @whetstoneradio, and YouTube at WhetstoneRadio.

Guests: Jean Drèze, Reetika Khera