lack of fund has put introduction of nutritional diet in the Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme on hold. The Central Government decision on increasing the funds for the MDM scheme was to be made effective from July 1 to improve the nutritional status of the students; however State Government has not been able to comply with the directive.
Ram Murti Thakur, Secretary of Jharkhand Primary Teacher Association said, “The Central Government has given decision on increase of fund for midday meal two months earlier but till date we have not received fund from the concerned authorities. The funds were increased to add nutritional value to the meal availed by 43 lakh students in the state. In the menu it is decided to provide an egg a week and for those students who are vegetarian will be provided a banana in its replacement. However lack of funds has restricted this decision on paper only.”
“100 gm rice, 20 gm dal and 50 gm vegetables per students are provided to students of one to five classes while 150 gm rice, 30 gm dal and 75gm vegetables are provided to six to eight class students,” he added.
However according to Dr Sumeet Garg, a nutritionist these government aided school are able to provide required energy calorie but deficit in providing required protein, vitamin and mineral.
He said, “A child needs around 400 to 700 kilo Calorie and around 45-50 gm nutrition in a meal. The meal provided to the students in school under midday meal scheme contain around 600 k calorie but the nutritional content in it has only 8-10 gm.”
DD Mandal, Principal of Zila School Ranchi said, “We are waiting for the fund, once we receive the increased money then we will revise our menu and provide our students more nutritional contained food’”
Repeated attempts made by the pioneer to contact concerned officials of the Human Resource Development department remained futile. “Too busy,” was the only reply one could get from them on the issue.