A whopping 2.5 crore spent on mid-day meal scheme in 2012-13

District Development Commissioner, Jammu, along with Joint Directors from Health & Education Department, reviewed the implementation of Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme in the district at meeting of district and block level officers of Education, Health, PHE & Rural Development Department.
The meeting also reviewed the implementation of School Health Check Up programme, besides provision of Drinking water/Toilet facilities in government schools of district Jammu.
While reviewing the Mid Meal Scheme, it was reported that the scheme is under implementation in 1477 government schools having an enrolment of 58104 students of Primary & Upper Primary classes.
Expensive food ?
It was said that Nutritious meal having protein value of 20 gms and calorific value of 700 gm is being served to the students of the Upper Primary Classes and food containing 12 gm protein and 450 gm calorific value is provided to primary classes.
The meeting was informed that over Rs.2.50 crores was spent on providing Mid Day meal during 2012-13 by utilizing food grains worth Rs.1.47 crores supplied by the government.
The DDC was also told that 1,388 schools had kitchen whereas the facility was being covered in remaining schools during the present fiscal.
Cooks to be trained :
Sahu asked the Zonal Education Officers to organise training sessions for the cooks to educate them about the hygienic preparation and serving of meals to the students.
“The cooked meal should be tasted by the Head Master and in-charge teacher before serving it to the students,” he added.
The DDC enjoined upon the Health, Education, PHE, Rural Development & ICDS Departments to work in close co-ordination to take care of health hygiene and education of the students.
“We all have to work for retention of the children in the schools and bring all the school going children who are still out of the school under the coverage of elementary education enrolment” the DDC asserted.