PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has once again indicated that SHGs displaying negligence in the mid-day meals to students could be replaced by NGO Akshaya Patra Foundation, which is already on board the Education Department.
His statement came in the wake of the incident at Ponda wherein maggot-infested mid-day meals were served to students by the concerned SHG, which serves meals to around 40 schools in the taluka. Sawant previously directed the temporary suspension of the SHG’s licence.
“I have already informed the FDA to temporarily suspend the licence of the SHG... Everyone was talking about the bills and money for the SHGs, but nobody spoke about the quality of food. Quality is a must,” he insisted while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a press conference on Thursday.
“We already have Akshaya Patra on board. However, those SHGs which are providing quality food will continue...” he added.
The Education Department had just recently completed the tendering process wherein the Bengaluru-based NGO was selected to be a part of the mid-day meal programme. The government initially planned to commence supply of mid-day meals to around 5,000 students on a trial basis in the next six months. The decision as to which schools are yet to be taken but the government intends to provide quality food and whether it is acceptable among students.
The tender was issued in June after several SHGs threatened to stop the supply of the meals over unpaid bills. The government, which in its defence claimed bills are often submitted after much delay, thereafter released funds of Rs 13 crore from its share.
