Jail cuisine may soon reach the platter of Government school students across Punjab. For, the Punjab Government is mulling the supply of delicacies prepared behind the prison bars to school students as mid-day meals.
Punjab State Food Commission chairman DP Reddy on Tuesday said that it was under consideration to supply fresh and nutritious food prepared by inmates lodged in Jails of Punjab to school children under Mid Day Meal scheme.
Regarding the same, Commisison’s chairman held a meeting with the state Principal Secretary (Jails) Kirpa Shankar Saroj in pursuance of a decision taken by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to use food cooked in jails for the mid day meal.
“This proposal will not only generate new employment opportunities for jail inmates but also make it possible to supervise the quality of mid day meals from a single place,” said Reddy.
He also directed the Principal Secretary (Jails) to thoroughly evaluate the pros and cons of this proposal and apprise the Commission accordingly.
It is pertinent to mention here that mid day meals is being provided to the students up to Class VIII in Government and aided schools of the State and this Scheme is being run by the State Government on 60:40 funding with Union Government.
Principal Secretary Jails assured to get the matter examined in the Jail Department, besides assuring to revert to the Commission after examining the pros and cons of the proposal at an early date.
Notably, the Central Government had in February approved revisions or modifications of norms in national programme for mid-day meal in government schools to improve the efficiency and effectiveness. As a part of the same, the Centre has advised all the states and union territories to involve community and other agencies such as Jails, Temples, Gurudwaras, and others in the Mid Day Meal Scheme.
In fact, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, in January this year, had directed the authorities concerned for setting up of institutes, where they could examine manufacturing food by using government funds and finances under the corporate social responsibility and donations as per the guidelines issued by good dieticians for better health of the children and mothers