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The Karnataka High Court directed the state government to decide on re-starting the mid-day meal scheme for eligible students, by April 8, reported LiveLaw.
Justices B V Nagarathna and J.M Khazi reportedly said, “State government has to take a decision to reintroduce midday meals from April 15, so long as schools from Class 6 to 10 are kept open and students are attending the classes physically. State has to make a decision and the same shall be placed before the court on or before April 8.”
The court was hearing a petition filed by one Radha M seeking to direct the state authorities to provide mid-day meals to students from grade VI to VIII as schools have started functioning physically, reported LiveLaw.
The state government apprised the court that for students of classes VI to X, they had decided to continue with food security allowance. It was also submitted that in view of the second wave of Covid-19, it had been decided to continue providing food security allowance in the form of food grains.
According to a LiveLaw report, the Department of Education’s (Primary and Secondary) affidavit read, “Cooking hot meals and serving the midday day meals on the school premises may lead to more infections. The report also said that an action plan had been placed before the government seeking financial assistance to provide food security allowance for 47 days, from April 10 to June 10.”
With respect to meals in Anganwadi centres, the government informed the court that the decision will be taken based on the advice of the technical advisory committee of the Health and Family Welfare department. The court, as per LiveLaw, orally remarked that more students would start attending classes when cooked meals are supplied instead of paying allowance.
In related news, the plan to introduce breakfast as an extension of the mid-day meal for students till grade VIII in government schools from the next academic session (2021-2022), has been delayed due to inadequate funds. The current expenditure on the Mid-Day Meal scheme is Rs. 11,000 crores for a total of 11.8 crore students across the country and the budgetary allocation for the department for the upcoming fiscal has been slashed by 8 percent, from Rs 59,845 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 54,873 crore in 2021-22.
During this budget session, the Centre answered some questions pertaining to the nutrition level of children in government schools. Based on its response, over 20 percent children are stunted and 35 percent are underweight. The Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey further stated that 24.1 percent children in the age group of 10-19 years are underweight.
Related:
Over 20 percent children stunted, 35 percent underweight between 2016-2018: Centre to RS
Over 42,000 schools lack drinking water facilities: Centre in RS
Fund crunch to delay adding breakfast under Mid-Day Meal scheme