Food Security for all citizens has been one of the guiding principles of the Government and a number of initiatives have been taken to ensure food for poor.

15 lakh children in the age group 3-6 years in 43,000 Anganwadis are being served with hot cooked meals such as Dalia and Khichdi. 1 kg iodized salt per tribal family per month is being distributed in Tribal Sub-Plan areas. To check pilferage from the Public Distribution System (PDS), Ration Ticket Scheme was launched and ration tickets have been distributed along with ration cards. The card holder can draw his rations against the tickets.

Under the Food Stamp Scheme, Sarpanchs in all Gram Panchayats can hand over a stamp worth 10 kg of wheat to any family in distress on SOS basis. This can be encashed from the designated PDS outlet. This form of emergency gratuitous relief goes a long way in ensuring that however distressed a family might be, it does not starve.

In order to meet the dual objectives of improving nutrition among children as well as their attendance in schools, a mid-day meal programme was initiated. 90 lakh children in 75,000 schools in classes 1-8 are covered. While earlier, “Ghoogri” was served, hot cooked meals being provided for the last 3 years. 4.5 lakh children are being covered through Public Private Partnership mode: Akshay Patra Foundation, Naandi Foundation, Adamya Chetna Trust, Havells India, HZL, DSCL Kota are some of the trusts/corporates who have partnered the State in this initiative.

Every day 225 boys and girls of Rajkiya Prathmik Vidyalaya, Manoharpura chant a small prayer in the forenoon before they have hot cooked nutritional meal ― dal, rice, mixed vegetable and two rotis. In this school, the wholesome meal is provided by a centre of the Akshya Patra Foundation at Jagatpura, Jaipur. The mid-day meal programme of the Government of Rajasthan now covers 90 lakh children in 75,000 schools of which about 4.5 lakh children are being covered by private organisations that are partnering the Government. The programme was launched with a two-pronged objective of providing a nutritive diet to children and increasing enrolments and attendance in Government schools. At the Jagatpura centre of Akshya Patra, food is cooked in a modern automated kitchen untouched by human hand, and carried in covered stainless steel containers to over 60,000 children in about 615 schools. “Everything has changed... enrolment has increased by more than 50%, absenteeism is down; and children are healthy and happy”, says Kumkum Sharma, the Principal of the school.

Under the Akshay Kalewa programme launched in all the District Headquarters, subsidized or free meal is provided to the urban poor, unorganized labour, etc. at Rs.5 to Rs.8 per meal. 91 centres are being run in 61 urban local bodies. Approximately 10,000 people are being benefited per day.

Janani Kalewa Scheme was started in August, 2006 to improve the health and nutritional status of pregnant and nursing mothers in urban areas by providing them a nutritious hot meal. About 21,000 pregnant and lactating women are being served with hot meal in 10 major cities of the State with the partial financial assistance of urban local bodies.