Soaring prices of pulse, vegetables affecting quality of Midday meals in Bhojpur schools

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara: With prices of pulses and green vegetables soaring, students of primary and middle schools are not getting proper benefit of Midday Meal.

The government had started Midday Meal scheme in 1995 with a  view to ensuring attendance of students in schools and safeguard the poor students from malnutrition and made provision to provide the students pulses and green vegetables in sufficient quantity.  The government also fixed menu for each working day separately. For this, Rs. 4.13 is fixed for each  student from class 1 to class 5 and Rs 6 for each student from class 6 to class 8. Besides, prescribed mustard oil and refined ghee have to be used for cooking of food for the students. The government has directed not to compromise with the quality of food.

But the schools management find it difficult to supply quality food to the students with this meager amount. The Headmasters of the Primary and Middle schools said how can they purchase high quality mustard oil and ghee, green vegetables and pulse whose prices are skyrocketing and the government is not increasing the amount to meet the soaring prices of commodities. They said if the situation does not improve, they would be forced to surrender the sanctioned fund and not supply MDM to the students.

District Education Officer cum MDM incharge, Bhojpur, Suresh Prasad said that the schools management have to supply MDM as per the menu chart at any cost and and any neglect on this count would not be tolerated. He said that the district level and state level committees are supervising MDM scheme regularly.