Question : NGOs Involved in Mid Day Meal Scheme

(a) whether it is a fact that the NGOs engaged in providing the Mid Day Meal in various Government schools in the country are further subletting their contracts and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether it is a fact that such NGOs are not providing hygienic and nutritious food to the children in rural and urban areas resulting in the children falling sick and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the number of such cases reported in the country during the last three years, State/UT and year-wise including Rajasthan along with the action taken against the errant agencies;

(d) whether the Government proposes to eliminate the role of NGOs in the said scheme, especially in rural areas and if so, the details thereof;

(e) whether the Government has fixed any nutritious value for serving Mid Day Meal to the children and if so, the details thereof along with the sanctioned amount per head for the same;

(f) the details of the margin of profit allowed and earned by those who are entrusted with the responsibility of providing the said meal; and

(g) the total number of people provided employment including cook cum helpers under
the said scheme during the last three years, State/UT-wise and year-wise?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE
MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)


(a) to (d): The Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented in partnership with the States/UTs. The overall responsibility for providing cooked and nutritious mid-day meal to the eligible children lies with the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. The MDM guidelines provide for Centralized kitchens for urban areas where there is space constraint. In Centralized kitchens, cooking can take place and cooked hot meal may be transported under hygienic conditions through reliable transport systems to various schools.

A total number of fourteen complaints against NGOs for providing unhygienic food to the children under Mid-Day Meal Scheme have been reported by various States and Union Territories during the last three years. Respective State Governments/UT Administrations were requested to furnish Action Taken Report (ATR) in the matter. As per ATRs received from States/UTs, actions such as issue of warning to the erring NGOs and to the officials responsible; termination of contract of the NGO and imposition of penalty on the NGO by withholding the payment to them have been taken up by the concerned State Governments/UT Administrations. The State/UT-wise details including Rajasthan of such incidents and action taken thereon during each of the last three years is given at Annexure-I.
(e): The Mid Day Meal Guidelines prescribe the following nutritional value for the Mid-Day-Meal provided to the children in the schools:

<pre>
Items For children of Primary classes For children of Upper Primary classes
A) Nutritional Norms (Per child per day)
Calorie 450 700
Protein 12 gms 20 gms
B) Food Norms (Per child per day)
Food-grains 100 gms 150 gms
Pulses 20 gms 30 gms
Vegetables 50 gms 75 gms
Oil & fat 5 gms 7.5 gms
Salt & condiments As per need As per need

</pre>

Under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the present sanctioned cooking cost per child per day for Primary and Upper Primary stages is Rs.4.13 and Rs.6.18, respectively. In addition, the Central Government provides 100% funding for Foodgrains, Transport Assistance, Kitchen Devices and Management/Monitoring Expenses. Several State/UT Governments are also contributing additional funds over and above their minimum mandatory share under the Scheme.

(f): The Mid-Day Meal guidelines provide that as far as possible, the responsibility for cooking/supply of cooked mid-day meal is to be assigned to Local women’s/mothers’ Self-Help Group; Local Youth Club affiliated to the Nehru Yuvak Kendras; Personnel engaged directly by the VEC/SMDC/PTA/Gram Panchayat/Municipality or NGOs through Centralized kitchens for urban areas where there is space constraint. The guidelines also provide that NGOs supply cooked mid day meal on a no profit basis.

(g): Under Mid -Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), one cook-cum-helper is engaged for schools with up to 25 students, two cooks-cum-helpers for schools with 26 to 100 students and one additional cook-cum-helper for every addition of up to 100 students. The State/UT-wise number of cook-cum-helpers engaged under the scheme during the last three years is at Annexure-II.

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