The Delhi Government got a pat on its back by Union Human Resources and Development Ministry for providing quality food and lifting samples for laboratory test on a monthly basis under mid-day meal scheme (MDMS).
The Ministry has also lauded the Delhi Government’s efforts and it has advised all the States to emulate the ways and means of Delhi to ensure quality and healthy food for MDMS. This has been revealed by Education Minister Prof Kiran Walia at a high-level review meeting of mid-day meal scheme by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday following the death of 23 children after having the meal in Bihar’s Chhapra district. Chief Secretary DM Spolia and senior officials of education department were also present at the meeting.
According to sources, Education Minister Kiran Walia informed Dikshit that the Ministry has lauded the Delhi Government’s effort to conduct test by its own through Sri Ram Institute for Industrial Research.
Dikshit has reportedly directed Education Department to form committee of experts to suggest how to increase the nutritional value of mid-day meal. Officials informed the Chief Minister that Delhi is the only city in the country, which has a mechanism to test mid-day meal by its own on a monthly basis. “Shri Ram Institute for Industrial Research takes four samples (two from distributors and two from NGO’s kitchen) randomly every month for testing and its samples have never found to be contaminated or unfit for consumption,” said officials.
According to the norms of the MDM revised in 2007, the meal served each day should provide at least 450 calories and 12 grams of protein to primary children (Classes I to V) and 700 gram and 20 gram protein to upper primary children (Classes VI to VIII).
According to Delhi Government officials, the Capital has 17 NGOs that feed daily meals to around 10 lakh children in 1,800 schools. They get `3.11 per day, per child for primary students and `4.65 for upper primary students. This includes transportation and distribution costs as well. The Delhi Government promised another 50 paise per child to cover the fuel costs after the subsidy on lPG cylinders was withdrawn in December last year. The recent rise in the prices of vegetables has caused the cost of production to go up by almost 40 per cent. “The increase in the prices of tomatoes alone has cost us over 25-30 paise per child. It used to be between 10-12 paise,” said a NGO which supplies meals to around 80,000 children in New Delhi.
It is to be noted that more than 80 per cent of the samples collected from schools in 2012-13 from different zones were rejected by the Health Department on nutrition counts. The samples failed to meet the protein and calorific value as prescribed by the MHRD. The quantity of protein required by primary students is set at 12 grams, while for upper-primary students it is 20 grams. The calorific value is set at 450 and 700 calories.