Badiger, ChhayaSingh, Neha2021-10-032021-10-032016-06https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810176562Mid-day meal programme was launched as a centrally sponsored programme on 15th August 1995. Hence, to study the knowledge and opinion of target groups, constraints faced by the teachers, attendance and nutritional status of school children, the comparative study was conducted in the purposively selected two villages; Garag and Yettingudda of Dharwad district of northern Karnataka and two villages; Simarddha and Bhojla of Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh. A total of 120 school children studying in 5th, 6th and 7th standards, 120 parents, 40 community leaders and 23 teachers from both Dharwad and Jhansi region were selected as sample size. The overall sample constituted 303 respondents. The data was collected by using structured interview schedule and nutritional anthropometric measurements were also recorded. Suitable statistical tools were properly used to analyse the data. The study shows that most of (96.70 %) the school children, parents (80.80 %), teachers (100 %) and community leaders (92.50 %) belonged to high knowledge level. Most of (92.50 %) the school children, parents (89.20 %), large majority of (78.30 %) teachers and community leaders (92.50 %) had most favourable opinion about mid day meal programme. Major constraint faced by teachers (87.00 %) was not providing any training under the programme. The attendance of the school children was 90.43 per cent. The significant difference was found in mean weight and height of school children of both the regions according to their age. According to Indian Academy of Pediatrics classification, school children (30.00 %) in Dharwad region belonged to Grade II and Grade III malnutrition each and in Jhansi region, 36.70 per cent school children belonged to Grade II malnutrition.EnglishThesis