Due to hike in prices of vegetables including potato, tomato, onion, green vegetables and pulses, Government school principals in the State are facing difficulties in facilitating proper mid-day meals for students with the provided budget.
Some school principals had complained to the education officers during their inspections about this problem. Schools receive Rs 5 per student of junior high school and Rs 3.34 per student for primary school for cooking cost including cost of pulses and vegetables, spices, fuel and others. The education officer has no answer on how exactly school principals are facilitating food for students with the cooking cost provided while maintaining Government standards.
Some school officials said that the price of vegetables and pulses are rising day by day and they are facing difficulties in preparing food with the available budget. In the open market, the price of most of the pulses is around Rs 70 per kg. Onion is selling for Rs 60-70 per kg, while bottle gourd, lady finger, bitter gourd are selling for about Rs 40 per kg. Tomato is selling for Rs 50 while potato at Rs 20 per kg.
A school official said, “If we cook vegetable for 100 students then we need at least seven kg potatoes (Rs 140), around a half kg tomato (Rs 25), half kg onion (Rs 30), 250 grammes mustard oil (Rs 30), spices (Rs 35) and Rs 25 for fuel cost. The cost of the vegetables goes upto Rs 2.85 per student which is the minimum expenditure.
The cooking cost of the other vegetables will be more than the above amount. If we prepare pulses for these many students, we need at least three kg pulses (Rs 210), Rs 20 for mustard oil and Rs 35 for spices, Rs 20 for fuel. The cost of the pulses goes upto Rs 2.85 per student. The total cooking cost of pulses and vegetables goes upto Rs 5.70 per head for 100 students."
According to him, the cost of these food items increases when number of students decreases. It is not possible to serve quality food to students with the available funds, he said. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan state project midday meal scheme in-charge Praminder Kumar said that he had recently inspected schools including government primary school, Majgoan and GPS, Nawagoan in Tehri district. 28 students were studying in GPS, Majgoan while 27 students in Nawagoan. Both the school principals had said that they are facing difficulties in facilitating proper midday meals for students with the provided budget.
He admitted that schools might be facing difficulties preparing food with provided budget where number of students is less than 30. According to him, earlier he had visited Gujarat and other states where food is prepared in community kitchen with the involvement of non- Government organisations or self help groups. It was observed that food was prepared by 4 am for large number of students in community kitchen and then officials started packing the food upto 10 am.
The same food was reaching the school by 11 am or 12 pm and students were served by 1 pm. He found quality of food was not satisfactory and at some places students do not take interest eating same food. As per the reports received from the district education officers, there is no shortage of rice in schools and cooking cost funds have been given to schools. He said that each school has been directed to include pulse and vegetable in midday meal for the students.