Midday Meal in Andhra Pradesh schools — the Dokka Seethamma Midday Meal — gives children a free hot cooked meal at school. It covers Classes I to X in government and aided schools across Andhra Pradesh, and since 1 January 2025 it has also covered students of 475 government junior colleges. There is no application to make and no fee to pay — enrolment in the school or college is the entitlement. The scheme is named after Dokka Seethamma, remembered for feeding the hungry.

For many children, this is the main hot meal of the day. It means no child has to sit in class hungry because there was no food at home that morning, and it gives parents one less expense to worry about. The scheme is named after Dokka Seethamma, remembered for feeding the hungry.

Key Facts

Who Gets the Meal

Every child studying in Classes I to X in a government school or a government-aided school in Andhra Pradesh gets the midday meal. Since 1 January 2025, the scheme has also been extended to students of 475 government junior colleges, so intermediate students in those colleges get a hot meal too. There is no income limit and no separate eligibility test — if your child is enrolled, your child gets the meal.

What Is Served

A hot cooked meal is served at school on every school day. The menu is fixed by the School Education Department and changes through the week, so the meal is not the same every day. The school displays the week’s menu — ask the headmaster or the class teacher if you want to know what is being served this week. The meal is cooked and served at the school, and children eat it during the school day.

Why It Matters

A hot meal at school does three things. First, it means children do not go hungry during the school day. Second, it gives parents a reason to send their children to school every day — the meal is part of the school day, not an extra. Third, it takes a daily expense off families that can least afford it. For a family with two or three children in school, the saving on food every month is real money.

What Parents Should Know

• No application. You do not apply for the midday meal anywhere. Enrolment in the school or college is enough.
• No fee. The meal is free. Nobody at the school should ask you to pay for it.
• Check the menu. The week’s menu is displayed at the school. Ask the headmaster if it is not displayed.
• If the meal is not served. If your child’s school is not serving the meal, or the quality is poor, raise it first with the headmaster. If nothing changes, take it to the Mandal Education Officer.

Midday Meal and Other Support for Students

The midday meal is only one part of the support available to school children in AP. Talliki Vandanam pays Rs.15,000 a year for every child from Class 1 to Intermediate — see https://unqinformation.com/thalliki-vandanam-scheme-new-guidelines-2026/ — and Jnanabhumi scholarships pay the tuition fee and a maintenance allowance for students who go on to ITI, polytechnic or degree courses — see https://unqinformation.com/jnanabhumi-scholarships-how-to-apply-for-rtf-mtf-post-matric-scholarships-step-by-step/. Together, the meal, the Talliki Vandanam amount and the scholarship remove the main reasons children drop out of school.

Midday Meal: Who Was Dokka Seethamma?

The scheme is named after Dokka Seethamma, a woman from Mandapeta in East Godavari district who became known across Andhra Pradesh for feeding hungry travellers and poor people who came to her door. She never turned anyone away, and her name became a byword for feeding the hungry — which is why the state government put her name on the school meal scheme.

The name is a reminder of why the meal matters. A child who has not eaten cannot concentrate, and a family struggling to put food on the table may keep a child at home. The midday meal answers both problems at once: the child eats at school, and the parent saves the cost of one meal a day. That is why the meal is served to every enrolled child, with no application and no means test — the only condition is that the child is enrolled and present.

Midday Meal: How the Menu Works

The menu is fixed by the School Education Department and changes through the week, so children do not get the same food every day. The week’s menu is displayed at the school — ask the headmaster if it is not displayed. The meal is served hot during the lunch break on school days, and children eat together before afternoon classes resume.

The meal is part of the national school meal programme, PM POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman), run by the Ministry of Education — see https://www.education.gov.in — with the state government running it in AP schools through the School Education Department. The meal is free for every child: there is no charge to the child or the parent, and no one should ask for money for it. If anyone demands payment for the midday meal, report it to the headmaster, just as you would report a meal that was not served. More about the state government’s schemes is on the AP government portal at https://www.ap.gov.in.

Midday Meal: The Junior College Extension

From 1 January 2025, the meal was extended to students of 475 government junior colleges, so students in Intermediate also get a free hot meal at college. This matters because older students are often the first to drop out when a family is under pressure — a free meal at college is one less cost for the family and one more reason for the student to attend every day.

For a junior college student, the midday meal sits alongside the other support available after Class 10. Jnanabhumi scholarships pay the tuition fee and a maintenance allowance for ITI, polytechnic and degree students — read the guide at https://unqinformation.com/jnanabhumi-scholarships-how-to-apply-for-rtf-mtf-post-matric-scholarships-step-by-step/ — and Naipunyam offers free skill training and job melas for young people — read the guide at https://unqinformation.com/naipunyam-portal-free-skill-training-job-melas-registration-guide-for-ap-youth/. Together, the meal, the scholarship and the training keep a student in education instead of dropping out for work.

FAQ

Who gets the Dokka Seethamma Midday Meal?
Children in Classes I to X in government and aided schools, and students of 475 government junior colleges since 1 January 2025.

Do I need to apply for it?
No. Enrolment in the school or college is the entitlement. There is no application form.

Is there a fee?
No. The meal is free.

What is on the menu?
The menu is fixed by the School Education Department and changes through the week. The school displays the week’s menu — ask the headmaster for it.

Read also: Talliki Vandanam Scheme 2026: ₹15,000 per Child, Eligibility, Payment Status & Full Details · Jnanabhumi Scholarships: How to Apply for RTF & MTF Post-Matric Scholarships — Step by Step

Midday Meal under the Dokka Seethamma scheme is a simple idea that works: feed children at school, and they will come to school and learn. If your child is enrolled in a government or aided school, the meal is already theirs. Make sure the school serves it, and raise it with the headmaster if it does not.

Last updated: November 2026