PANAJI
The nutritional value of the mid-day meals served to Goan students was less than the required norms with deficiency in calories, the Performance Audit of the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme 2009-10 to 2013-14 has revealed. Sixty schools, 30 from each district, were evaluated during the audit.
“During 2009-10 to 2011-12 period, bhaji pav and pulav were the only items provided to the students in MDM in majority of cases. Only one pav was served with bhaji to the students. The nutritional value of the food served was less than the required norms”, stated the Report.
“The menu provided during the period 2009-10 to 2011-12 showed deficiency of calories in respect of patal bhaji/pav by 55 calories in respect of primary level and 300 calories in respect of upper primary level. Deficiency of nearly 9 grams protein was also seen in supply to upper primary children.
Besides, in respect of vegetable pulav served, rice was used in the ratio of 30 grams and 60 grams for primary level and upper primary level. The calorie and protein content worked out lesser for upper primary”, the Report pointed out.
The Report also revealed that in 2012-13 and in 2013-14 too, the nutritional value of the food served was less than the required norms.
“The menu provided during the period 2012-13 and 2013-14 showed deficiency in calories with respect to bhaji pav by 220 calories in the menu of primary school and above by 409 calories in the menu of upper primary level.
Deficiency of nearly 6.375 grams protein was seen for primary and 12.86 grams for upper primary.
As regards vegetable pulav, the recommended quantity to arrive at the calorie and protein content applicable for upper primary and primary was 900 grams and 750 grams respectively against which quantity of cooked weight provided to the students was 280/240 grams of pulav/pav bhaji for upper primary and 280/100 grams of pulav/pav bhaji for primary”, read the Report.
While one of the objectives of the scheme is to encourage poor children to attend school regularly, Goa was one among the few states which neither formulated any criteria to identify poor children belonging to the disadvantaged section, nor conducted any surveys.
The Report also observed that none of the 29 Self-Help Groups (SHGs)
visited during the audit, maintained buffer stock of food grains for one month’s requirement, as specified in the guidelines.
Nonetheless, the audit also pointed out that Goa Government did not engage reputed institutes and laboratories for carrying out sample checking of cooked meals to ensure quality meal to the children. However, teachers were neither involved in tasting the quality of food served to the children, nor there was any record or register being maintained in the test checked schools.
