Which of the following schemes was specifically launched to promote basic education in India by attracting children of school going age to attend classes regularly through the provision of free cooked meals?

Introduction / Context:
Many government schemes in India focus on different social objectives such as health, nutrition, and education. It is important for exam aspirants to know which scheme targets which objective. This question asks you to identify the scheme that aims to promote basic education by attracting children to school through the provision of free meals during the school day.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Four options are given: Pulse Polio Abhiyan, Operation Flood, Mid Day Meal scheme, and None of these.
• The description clearly refers to a scheme that combines education and nutrition to improve school attendance.
• We assume familiarity with the main goals of each named scheme.

Concept / Approach:
The Mid Day Meal scheme is designed to offer free cooked meals to children in government and government aided schools. Its objectives include increasing enrolment, reducing dropouts, improving attendance, and providing nutritional support. By offering a meal at school, it provides an incentive for parents to send children to school regularly. Other schemes listed have different focuses, such as immunisation or milk production, and are not primarily about school attendance.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Pulse Polio Abhiyan is a health campaign targeted at eradicating polio through vaccination, not directly aimed at school attendance.Step 2: Remember that Operation Flood is a dairy development programme that created a milk grid and promoted milk production.Step 3: The Mid Day Meal scheme provides cooked meals in schools to children, linking nutrition and primary education.Step 4: The description in the question matches the design of the Mid Day Meal scheme.Step 5: Therefore, the correct option is the Mid Day Meal scheme.

Verification / Alternative check:
Official guidelines for the Mid Day Meal scheme list as objectives: enhancing enrolment, improving children's retention in school, boosting regular attendance, and improving the nutritional status of children. This matches the description in the question. Pulse Polio Abhiyan and Operation Flood are widely known campaigns in different sectors, which confirm that they do not fit the description.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Pulse Polio Abhiyan: A national immunisation campaign against polio, focusing on health and disease eradication, not on school meals or attendance.
Operation Flood: A programme that transformed India's dairy sector and made the country a major milk producer, with no direct link to school meals and classroom attendance.
None of these: Incorrect because the Mid Day Meal scheme clearly fits the description given in the question.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes choose None of these if they are not confident about the exact name of the scheme or if they confuse different welfare programmes. To avoid this, it is useful to attach clear mental pictures to major schemes: cooks and school lunches for Mid Day Meal, polio drops for Pulse Polio, and milk cooperatives for Operation Flood.

Final Answer:
The scheme described is the Mid Day Meal scheme.