If you see school children relishing warm cooked food in schools then don’t be surprised because State Government is going to provide quality food to the school children under the Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS). For this purpose, the state education minister Arvind Pandey has gone on study tour to understand how other states are providing warm cooked meals to the school children within stipulated time period. In this process he has visited to three different locations and found that Akshay Patra is providing better food to the children.
Talking to The Pioneer, minister Pandey, who is on a study tour to understand the nitty gritty of the facilitation, said that it is claimed that one can send packed cooked food which is 90 degrees hot and when it reaches the students then its temperature reported at 30-40 degrees which is warm enough to be easily consumed by the children. Interestingly, they provide food at very cheaper rate and they themselves contribute in these schemes. Currently they are studying its feasibility in the state. Pandey further said that being a public representative he had a dream to do something but he could not do because of his limitations but now the recently elected Trivendra Singh Rawat government has inducted him into the cabinet and given charge of education. As he got this opportunity, he decided to do something concrete so that children would get quality food in their mid day meal in school.
Under the MDMS, the schools are supposed to provide meals @ Rs 3.76 per day per child in primary schools and Rs 5.64 in Upper Primary schools.
The Union government and state government bear the cost of MDMS in the ratio of 75: 25 respectively. The schools are provided food grains (rice and wheat) while they have to manage other food items on their own from the budget provided.
The teachers are given responsibility for managing MDMS in their schools while Bhojan Matas are employed in the schools to prepare the meal for the students.
As is known, to monitor the MDMS implementation, the union government has already set up national steering cum monitoring committee at state level. A nodal department is authorised to take responsibility. One officer is being appointed at each district and block level to oversee effective implementation of the programme.
The panchayats and urban local bodies are in charge of the scheme in states where primary education is entrusted to them.