EMN
Dimapur, August 5
THE Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) has alleged “various anomalies and irregularities” in the implementation of the mid-day meal (MDM) scheme in Nagaland and has declared the scheme as an outright failure. One of the ‘anomalies’ the ENF pointed out was that children in Nagaland’s schools ‘do not eat mid-day meal at all.’ This suggests a question that doubts the financial propriety of the department implementing the scheme.
The leadership of the ENSF issued a press release today saying that the government of Assam had implemented the Mid Day Meal scheme efficiently where the children in their states’ school received regular meal in the school. “Nagaland on the other hand had failed to do the same. As usual, children come to school regularly to learn. The climax of the story is saddened when children from school in Nagaland have to keep watching the children from the school in Assam having sumptuous meal during the day. In another incident, a school teacher replied that they go for annual picnic when asked on the utilization of the mid day meal in the school.
Under the Public Distribution System (PDS) provisions have been made for allocation of 150 grams of rice per child per school day (Std 1-VIII). Effective from April 2008, cooked/processed hot meal with minimum content of 300 calories & 8-12 gms of proteins was served each day to schools for a minimum of 200 days or 3 Kgs per student per month for 9-11 months in a year, while food grain was distributed in raw form.
The ENSF stated: “As per the annual administration report under the department of School Education, the project outlay Approval Board (PAB) has approved total an outlay of Rs. 2827.35 Lakhs for implementation of MDM scheme in Nagaland in the financial year 2012-13. However, the department had claim that they had received only 2768.23 Lakhs till date out of the total PAB. As per the detail fund provision under MDM Scheme Rs. 375.45 lakhs have been sanction for purchasing food grains, 1288.98, 462.56 & 13.04 lakhs on cooking cost for primary, upper primary and NCPL schools respectively, Rs 157.54 lakhs was sanctioned on transportation, 49.99 lakhs on MME and 497.79 lakhs on Cook honorarium.”
Nagaland has a total of 878 middle schools and 1794 Lower primary schools. “The fund on MDM scheme Rs. 2827 lakhs if shared among 2672 schools judiciously, then every school should get about Rs.110000 (one lakh ten thousand only) each but sadly no schools ever receive more than 10 bags of BPL Rice in a year costing Rs, 400 per bags,” the ENSF said in a startling disclosure contained in the statement.
The ENSF has demanded that the government ‘come out clean’ as to which department was implementing the MDM scheme. “The concern authority should also justify as to what extent they could claim that the provision of MDM in the state was judiciously implemented and benefited the children in the schools. Can anyone claim to have served for at least 30 days in a year? ENSF totally declare the MDM scheme in Nagaland as total failure. “It’s a shame to talk & debate on misutilization of MDM scheme in the state when India (developing country) is talking about on how to improve the nutritious level of content in the meal,” the students’ organization stated.
Further, the ENSF stated, the question of transportation issue should not be tabled as Rs 157.54 lakhs had been sanction on transportation. “Many schools sell off their provision in the town as they are not allotted with transportation cost. Publication in the news paper with a photo of children having sumptuous meal once in a year should be strictly discouraged. Citizen/community should understand that the MDM scheme provision is to be served daily and it does not mean for school annual picnic.”
The ENSF has demanded that the mid-day meal should be served daily (“no negotiation”, the ENSF stated) “Out of Rs. 157.54 lakhs reserved for transportation by the PAB, Major Share of the total budget outlay should be invested in the eastern region and those pocket areas with deplorable road condition and transportation problem.”
All the federating units under ENSF are directed to collect the detailed project implementation report from the office of the Sub Divisional Education Officer (SDEO) by August 10th August. The authority at the district level should furnish the name of the appointed cook under every school to the ENSF through its federating unit, the ENSF said.
The ENSF has also asked the “implementing agency at the state level” to publish the detail implementation report of the MDM scheme at the state level (district wise) through the media.
