Irked by sweeping changes in the mid-day meal menu for students, most of the self-help groups (SHGs) across the State have expressed their inability to continue with the new menu citing finacial complications.
The SHGs may go ahead with the old menu as they is affordable to them. They have, however, clarified that they would not supply 'pulav' as many students had shown distaste to the item on menu.
The members of SHGs were visibly unhappy at the meeting called by the Education Department to ask them to provide provide 'pav' along with 'bhaji' on all six days of the week if 'chapattis' wasn't finacially feasible to them.
Speaking to 'The Goan' after the meeting, Education Director Gajanan Bhat informed that the meeting was attended by the representatives of SHGs from all the 12 talukas.
“The SHGs had earlier given us a representation that supplying chapattis as part of the mid-day meal was not feasible. They had demanded an increase in the rates of the meals. We have already gone through the representations and decided that if they cannot manage to provide chapattis, they can supply pav along with bhaji,” he said adding, “There are some who want to supply chapattis. They can continue doing so.”
He, however, was firm to state that there will not be any change in the bhaji items. “But if they supply pulav we will take stringent action against them,” he warned.
As regards the quantity of meals is concerned, he has said that the government can rethink over it.
Meanwhile, one of the representatives of a Sanguem-based SHG said, “Today at the meeting the Department told us that the new menu is affordable and we earn profit of Re 1 on every meal according to the consumption report of the Home Science College given to them. The Department should show us how to get the profit and we are ready to supply the meals.”
The representative also pointed out that factors like coconut, spices, power, water, cost of transportation have not been taken into account while preparing the estimate.
“In case if the government cannot increase the rates, then we will supply the old menu itself. We won’t supply pulav but instead one pav along with watana bhaji”, he said.
Another representative from a Mormugao-based SHG said, “We have already given a letter to the Department enlisting our difficulties. The amount increased is minimal and the menu is a variety of different bhajis. Additionally the sly of rice has stooped and we are only being given wheat.”
