PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said the government will increase the cost of mid-day meals on the condition that self-help groups involved in preparing food for the students, do not compromise on the quality.
“There is a demand to increase the cost by Rs 1.90 per mid-day meal. I have decided to hike the cost provided there is no compromise on the food quality,” he said.
Sawant was responding to media queries regarding allegations of delay in depositing money into the account of mid-day meal workers and promoters of SHGs from five sub-districts warning to discontinue the mid-day meals supply owing to financial constraints.
Sawant has come down heavily on some SHGs for allegedly providing sub-standard quality food that eventually results in its wastage. Replying to another question, he said that the government will not accept any laxity on the part of the food suppliers henceforth.
“I don’t want to hear that 50 per cent of students don’t want to consume the mid-day meals due to its poor quality. Some SHGs compromise on quality. We won’t accept that,” he warned.
The Goan, in its Sunday edition, had given an overview of the prevailing situation around the issue wherein some parents raised questions on the quality of the mid-day meals. Some also sought to know how many students consume the meals as there have been instances wherein the cooked food is thrown out because of its poor quality.
The Goan was also the first to report that the government approved the Education Department’s proposal to increase the rate. The primary level’s per meal will now cost from Rs 6.11 to Rs 8 approx and for the upper primary to Rs 10 approx from Rs 7.50.
It may be recalled that amid reports that thousands of children may have to go without their mid-day meal when schools re-open post the Diwali vacation owing to the tussle between contractors and the education department over backlog payments and meal rates, the Commission for Protection of Child Rights had written to the Director of Education to ensure a solution to the crisis.
A group of cash-strapped mid-day meal contractors servicing schools in five talukas were up in arms as they discussed with education officials their precarious financial position in the face of pending bills and uneconomical rates.
