Thaindian News

Lucknow, Nov 20 (IANS) The Education Department of Uttar Pradesh will initiate action against 10 government-run primary schools for irregularities in providing lunch to students under the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme in Etah district, officials said Thursday.“In the ongoing surprise inspections, we found most schools were providing one to two biscuits to their students in the name of Mid-Day Meal scheme,” official in-charge of primary education in the district J.S. Satya told IANS on phone.

According to rules, every child should be provided with a meal with minimum content of 300 calories of energy and 8-12 grams of protein each day for at least 200 days a year, officials said.

“Majority of the schools from where the anomalies have been reported are in Nidhauli and Marhara villages in Etah, some 295 km from Lucknow,” said Satya.

He said the officials of all such schools would face strict action and a report about the irregularities has just been handed over to the district administration.

At present, Khichri and Tehri (dishes made from rice, pulses and vegetables) are usually given under MDM in the schools of the state, officials said.

About 150,000 schools are covered under the MDM scheme in Uttar Pradesh. Under the scheme, lunch is provided to students till Class 8. Over 18.6 million students are enrolled under the scheme.

The National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education, also known as Mid-Day Meal Programme, was launched by the central government on Aug 15, 1995. Its objective is to boost universalisation of primary education and to improve the nutritional status of children.