PANAJI
The Central government has released Rs 16.70 crore to Goa towards the supply of mid-day meals for more than 1.58 lakh students across the State during the ongoing academic term. The total expenditure under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) scheme for the current year is pegged at Rs 35.51 crore, to be jointly borne by the Centre and the State.
Sources said the funds were released in two instalments so far. “The Union Ministry of Education has released Rs 11.13 crore in the first instalment and Rs 5.56 crore in the second instalment. Another instalment of around Rs 5 crore is expected to be released in the next one month,” a source said.
The State government had submitted its Annual Operational Plan (AOP) to the Programme Approval Board (PAB) of the PM-POSHAN scheme, which approved Central assistance of Rs 22.26 crore along with the allocation of 4,506.48 metric tonnes of food grains for the current academic year. As per existing norms, the mandatory State share has been fixed at Rs 13.25 crore.
“The State is at liberty to add additional funds from its own resources as and when required,” sources added.
For the current year, the PAB has approved coverage of 1.58 lakh eligible students across 1,224 schools in Goa. This includes 2,562 students under Bal Vatika, 89,584 primary students and 64,801 upper primary students. The total number of working days approved under the scheme is 238.
Explaining the cost-sharing mechanism, sources said the Centre bears the entire cost of food grains supplied to the State. “The cost of food grains for Goa works out to Rs 16.11 crore, calculated at Rs 41.73 per kg for rice and Rs 29.80 per kg for wheat. Of this, Rs 14.99 crore is borne as subsidy by the Department of Food and Public Distribution under the National Food Security Act, 2013,” a senior official said.
Meanwhile, with effect from May, the State government has revised the rates paid to Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and self-help groups involved in cooking and supplying mid-day meals.
As per the revised rates, PTAs and self-help groups are paid Rs 9.33 per student per day for pre-primary and primary levels, up from the earlier Rs 8.75 and the upper primary level, the rate has been increased to Rs 12 per student per meal from Rs 11.12.
Officials stressed that uninterrupted supply of hot cooked meals must be ensured on all school days. “As per the norms, the Education Department is required to ensure that eligible students receive hot cooked meals even in cases of delay in release of funds, food grain supply constraints or any other reason,” a source said.
The State can also seek additional assistance from the Centre if required. “The State may approach the Union Ministry for additional funds or food grains in case of an increase in student attendance, additional working days, or any other valid reason,” sources said, adding that the Centre may restrict releases to actual coverage if enrolment or attendance is found to be lower than approved figures.
