Widen it: Editorial on the status of mid-day meal programme in West Bengal

 

Politics remains a persistent concern even though the mid-day meal programme, whose finances are shared by the states and Centre, could have been a platform to strengthen India’s federal ethos

The Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on children’s health and nutrition cannot be overstated. The children of West Bengal have, unsurprisingly, not been an exception. A study conducted two years ago found that the number of children suffering from malnutrition had almost doubled in the state since the pandemic had forced the closure of the Integrated Child Development Services. Even before the pandemic, the rate of stunting among children in Bengal, the National Family Health Survey-5 conducted in 2019-20 found, had risen marginally. The link between nutrition and another crucial sphere — education — needs equal attention. A child can hardly concentrate on studies on an empty stomach. The mid-day meal programme has gone a long way in addressing the problem. A study found that children who were provided school lunches for three to four years scored upto 18% higher in their tests. Therefore, the Bengal administration’s recent decision to include an ‘extra day’ of nutrition in the meals served to children after the summer holidays is laudable. But why is it being implemented in government and government-aided schools in Jangalmahal, Sunderbans and the Dooars only? Bengal has shown that it is capable of inventiveness in welfare. The mandatory inclusion of eggs and a wide assortment of seasonal fruits in the prescribed diet of students — an initiative that was wholly funded from the state’s coffers — bears evidence of this. The state must find ways of widening the coverage of an extra day’s nutrition, a reliable and often the only source of calories and protein for poor children.

Multiple studies have shown that the mid-day meal programme — now rechristened the PM Poshan scheme — has been able to address classroom hunger, improve children’s concentration on the lessons, and lead to higher enrolment. And, yet, the initiative is hobbled by a number of problems. Central allocation has fallen to Rs 11,600 crores in 2023-24 from Rs 12,800 crores in 2022-23. There is an urgent need to raise the allocation keeping in mind the spectre of inflation that makes it impossible to feed the children nutritious food at the current miserly rates. Corruption remains an endemic challenge: the Union ministry of education recently found “serious discrepancies” in Bengal’s midday meal data. The salaries of anganwadi staff are low: even this pittance is not distributed on time. Politics remains a persistent concern even though the mid-day meal programme, whose finances are shared by the states and the Centre, could have been a platform to strengthen India’s federal ethos.

Source: The Telegraph, 19/06/23

Caste bias in midday meal plan: Panel seeks proof

Akshaya Mukul

New Delhi:





The parliamentary committee on welfare of SCSTs has called secretary , school education, on April 8 for oral evidence to apprise itself on allegations of caste discrimination against Dalit children in distribution of midday meal in Bihar, UP and MP .The parliamentary panel led by BJP's Faggan Singh Kulaste has been demanding action from the ministry to stop caste discrimination. In January, the panel asked the HRD ministry to send its own team to verify discrimination in MP and Karnataka. It was also decided that the ministry will look into similar alleged cases against Dalit children in Bihar and UP.
However, the ministry's team which went to Bihar, MP , UP and Karnataka have reported that there is no case of caste discrimination against Dalit children. A member of the panel said, “We will look into ministry's report. Since ministry's team makes advance announcement of its visit, it is bound not to find anything. It is important that HRD's team should have made an unannounced visit.“ He said the panel is serious about ending discrimination.
In MP discrimination was reported from 12 districts while in Karnataka, there were reports of children bringing food from home since they did not want to eat midday meal which they feared gets touched by Dalit children.

Guidelines on Food Safety And Hygiene Under the Mid Day Meal Scheme 

New Delhi: In pursuance of the decision taken by the Empowered Committee headed by Smt Smriti Irani, Union Minister of Human Resource Development in its meeting held on 15th October, 2014, a Committee was constituted under the chairpersonship of the Joint Secretary of the concerned Bureau for finalizing the guidelines on Food Safety and Hygiene under the Mid Day Meal Scheme. The Committee had deliberations with the experts from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and other agencies in the field and developed a draft. The draft guidelines were also shared with all the States and UTs.

The   guidelines are primarily based on the food safety and hygiene guidelines that have been issued under the Mid Day Meal Scheme from time to time, selected provisions of the Food Safety and Standards, Regulations 2011 under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 as well as the recommendations of the Joint Review Missions. The guidelines are part of an effort to ensure basic standards of food safety and hygiene in school kitchens. These guidelines address both the operational as well as infrastructural aspects for ensuring food safety and hygiene.  The broad guidelines will help the States and the UTs to focus more intensively on the safety aspects of procurement, storage, preparation, serving, waste disposal of food items as well as issues of personal hygiene of students and those involved in cooking and serving of food.

 

In order to effectively implement these guidelines, the States and UTs will need to develop their own standard operating procedures and undertake training of the officials including Cook-cum-Helpers and members of School Management Committees.

Dec 19 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Stop caste discrimination in midday meal: Panel

Akshaya Mukul

New Delhi





For the second time in two weeks, the parliamentary committee on the welfare of SCsSTs has come down heavily on the HRD ministry for its failure to curb discrimination against dalit children in the midday meal scheme in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.On Wednesday , the parliamentary panel headed by BJP's Faggan Singh Kulaste asked HRD to send its own team to MP and Karnataka and furnish a report by January 10 next year. During the meeting, a senior ministry official told the panel that HRD regularly sends out advisories to states that there should be no caste discrimination in the distribution of midday meal.
Panel members said since advisories have evidently not worked, ministry needs to take a more proactive stand. “We know how state governments treat advisories. HRD ministry should send its own team for investigation and bring this to everyone's notice,“ a panel member said.
In Madhya Pradesh, reports of discrimination has been reported from 12 districts. In Sehore district there was a report that plates of dalit children were marked so that food is not served to upper caste children in those plates. In case of Karnataka, state government admitted that in schools of Mysore district some students were bringing lunch box from their houses. State government said religious leaders were also involved to solve the problem of discrimination.

Test Quality of Mid Day Meals: Centre to States

The central government has requested all the states and Union Territories for testing of the meals provided to school children under Mid Day Meal Scheme from accredited labs. The states and UTs Government may involve Food Inspectors to collect the food samples for testing on quality parameters.

The Governments of NCT Delhi and Punjab have engaged accredited labs for testing of samples in their State.

Mid Day Meal Scheme covers 10.80 crore children in 11.58 lakh schools during 2013-14. The Scheme provides for a mechanism to deal with complaints and grievances of the stakeholders. The Ministry of HRD has been issuing instructions from time to time for effective implementation of the Scheme.

Under Mid Day Meal Scheme, only hot cooked meals are served to the children as per the direction of the  Supreme Court of India.

- See more at: http://digitallearning.eletsonline.com/2014/12/test-quality-of-mid-day-meals-centre-to-states/#sthash.AWT5cImh.dpuf

Midday Meal: Govt nod to protocol for standards in food safety and testing 

In a move aimed at ensuring quality of food and appropriate nutrition standards under the Midday Meal, the government has approved the introduction of a protocol for standards in food safety and testing that will be rolled out from next year.

The decision was arrived at a meeting of the empowered committee on midday meal headed by HRD minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday, October 15. Among other issues, the meeting stressed upon increasing safety measures in cooking and regular testing of cooked food.

The HRD ministry, however, chose to remain silent on the issue of increasing the remuneration of cook-cum-helpers who are paid a paltry Rs. 1,000 per month. Considered crucial to the midday meal operation, poor state of cook-cum-helpers has been pointed out by several independent studies. After last year’s tragedy in Bihar that led to the death of more than 20 children, poor working condition of cook-cum-helpers came to fore. The new government has already rejected a Cabinet note that proposed a monthly salary of Rs. 2,000 cook-cum-helpers and has since then been gathering dust in the ministry. As per estimates, increasing the salary could have led to an additional expenditure of Rs. 2,000 crore per annum.

In other issues discussed at the meeting, Irani asked state governments to resolve the issue of payment to Food Corporation of India which supplies foodgrains for MDM throughout the country. Since HRD ministry releases fund for food grains in advance, state governments were asked not to keep arrears. Bihar government that owes over Rs 100 crore to FCI was told to clear the arrears.

Bihar education minister Brishen Patel told the meeting that centralized kitchen be made at the block level so that teachers do not get involved in the task of cooking. It is unlikely that Patel’s suggestion will be accepted.

- See more at: http://digitallearning.eletsonline.com/2014/10/midday-meal-govt-nod-to-protocol-for-standards-in-food-safety-and-testing/#sthash.BJL74RJE.dpuf

Meeting of the Empowered Committee on Mid Day Meal Scheme

Report by India Education bureau, New Delhi: The meeting of the Empowered Committee under the Chairpersonship of the Minister of Human Resource Development Smt. Smriti Irani, for the Mid Day Meal Scheme was held today.

 Representatives of State Governments, Food and Nutrition experts and senior officers of the Central Government participated in the meeting. The Committee reviewed the implementation of the Mid Day Meal Scheme and decided to strengthen the monitoring system of the Mid Day Meal Scheme as well as to ensure community participation in the execution of the Scheme. 

Two major decisions were taken by the committee today. 

(i) To introduce the practice of Tithi Bhojan across the country, based on its success in Gujarat where community members contribute to improve quality of the school mid day meals on a happy occasion / event in the family be it a birthday, festival etc. 

(ii) In order to ensure quality of the meals and appropriate nutrition standards under the Mid Day Meal Scheme, it was decided to introduce a protocol for standards in food safety and testing - to be rolled out in the coming New Year.