MID-DAY MEAL SCHEME
RAJYA
SABHA
As per the guidelines
of the Mid-day Meal Scheme, with the support of the Central Government
i.e. free of cost foodgrains and admissible transportation charges,
the local bodies have the flexibilities to organise provision
of cooked/pre-cooked food. Recently, a decision has been taken
by the Government to construct kitchen sheds in the schools under
Rural Development programmes. States of Gujarat, Kerala, Orissa
(8 KBK districts and ITDA blocks), Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh,
Madhya Pradesh (Tribal blocks), Karnataka (7 educationally backward
districts and by 9 NGOs), Uts of Andman & Nicobar Islands,
Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu and Pondicherry are
providing cooked meals. In Delhi ready-to-eat food are being distributed.
During 2002-03 about
1.75 lakh schools are providing cooked/processed foods under the
Mid-day Meal Scheme. The meals being provided in States/UTs differ
according to the local food habits but the States are requested
to maintain a minimum value of 300 calories as recently directed
by the Supreme Court.
This was stated by
the Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Prof.
Rita Verma in the Rajya Sabha today.
