Gurdaspur, April 8
The state government’s decision to provide a grant of Rs 88.33 lakh to the beleaguered Mid-Day Meal in this district has not only put the initiative on the right track, but has also given a much-needed respite to students of nearly 2,100 schools of this border district.
For the past four months, the government had put on hold funds meant for the scheme following which the staff and students of schools had to take food grains on credit from shopkeepers to sustain the venture.
Funds for the scheme are provided by the Central and state government in a 65:35 ratio and the office of the Director General School Education (DGSE) is the nodal agency supervising the scheme across the state.
Prem Parkash Soni, manager, Mid Day Meal Scheme, Gurdaspur, confirmed that his office had received Rs 64.19 lakh towards the cost of cooking food grains and Rs 24.14 lakh for reimbursement of wheat and rice which is provided by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and transported and delivered to schools by Punsup.
Officials of the District Education Office (Secondary), which oversees the implementation of the scheme, revealed that they had received funds till November last year. The election process meant that the government had to put on hold funds to all district and the release of Rs 88.33 lakh has now given them ample breathing space. “We expect the government to release nearly Rs 2.50 crore soon and this amount will take care of the finances incurred by us till March this year,” disclosed an officer.
There were reports that in the last four months, owing to paucity of funds, the quality of food being provided to students was compromised. However, Prem Parkash Soni was quick to refute these allegations by saying that a four-member committee, under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner (DC), had been set up to check the quality of food. “This district has been divided into 22 educational blocks and a high powered Committee comprising a representative of the DC, Block Primary Education Officer (BPEO) and a representative of the Punsup office regularly oversees the quality of food grains provided by the FCI and subsequently the food prepared by cooks in the school premises is also checked. To top it, I also visit schools. To check a minimum of 30 schools everyday is part of my duty,” said Soni.
The scheme, despite having minor hiccups, is being appreciated across the district. Harjit Aalam, a senior journalist who has been covering the scheme for the last several years, said, “For parents, sending their children to school meant not only incurring extra financial burden, but also depriving them of some money which their children would have earned otherwise by doing labour. The venture is doing wonders for students of lower middle class families and there has been an increase in the number of students attending schools.”
