CANACONA
After a net increase of over Rs.1.90 per student per day in the rate of the mid-day meals, chances have increased of all the students in Canacona schools getting the mid-day meals.
Omkar SHG, which had stopped supplying mid-day meals to over 1943 students of Khola, Agonda Gaondongrim and Khotigao from October 1, has tentatively agreed to supply mid-day meals to all the students once schools re-open after Diwali vacation.
It may be recalled that 1943 of pre-primary, primary and middle school students of Khola, Agonda, Gaondongrim and Khotigao were deprived of mid-day meals from October 1 after the supplier stopped supplying meals to these students stating it's uneconomical. The supplier Omkar Self-Help Group has demanded either increase in rates and suitable compensation towards transportation charges as it has become uneconomical to prepare and supply mid-day meals to the children spread across Canacona taluka.
"In order to supply meals, we had to track 1.5km on foot to reach some of the schools having just 3-4 students in distant corners, besides approaching the nearest motorable points through our own transportation. The rates provided are meagre and we were incurring daily losses to the tune of Rs 3,000. Our bills are also pending since June and there was no other option than to stop honouring these additional responsibilities," Omkar SHG president Sandhya Dessai had informed.
According to Dessai, Omkar SHG had in fact accepted the additional responsibilities to supply mid-day meals to students of Khola, Agonda, Gaondongrim and Khotigao after the original suppliers (some other SHGs) had stopped supplying. Omkar SHG had, however, continued to supply mid-day meals to about 800 students from Loliem-Polem and Poinguinim village schools.
"Yes, though it was economically not viable, we decided to continue with the supply to Loliem-Polem and Poinguinim schools as it is our original cluster and we had to honour the commitment to the end," Dessai said.
"Now, since government has agreed to increase the mid-day meals per students and per day rates to some respectable cost, on re-opening of schools after Diwali vacation, we will also resume supply of mid-day meals to students of Khola, Agonda, Gaondongrim and Khotigao numbering about 1943 children scattered around different schools.
"However, our demand to compensate for the transportation charges remains. We are incurring daily losses and the epartment has assured to look into it later. We also want the department to clear our pending bills at the earliest possible," Dessai told this correspondent.
"Since all the mid-day meals suppliers federation consisting of 107 suppliers had agreed, we too agreed to accept the rates. In order to cater to around 2,900 students scattered in more than 100 different schools, we are engaging four vehicles daily, and this becomes very much uneconomical. Even our federation agreed to consider to follow up our transportation compensation demands," Dessai.
As per the increased rates, the mid-day meals suppliers will get Rs 8 for supplying the quality mid-day meals to Pre-primary and Primary students and Rs 10 to Upper-Primary School students.
Interestingly, another self-help group, Astha SHG, supplies mid-day meals to around 1,750 pre-primary, primary and upper-primary students of schools located in the village of Shristhal and entire Canacona municipal areas. With the resumption of supply after reopening of schools, Omkar SHG alone will cater to 2743 children from six villages of Canacona taluka.
