Probe ordered into rice supplied under mid-day meal scheme

The claim was made by Shiv Sena (UBT) member, Priyank Raut, who presented a sample of the rice to Civic Education Committee chairperson Rajeshri Shirwadkar at the meeting on Monday

MUMBAI: Civic Education Committee chairperson Rajeshri Shirwadkar has ordered an inquiry into the quality of rice supplied to students under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme after claims that the grain was being substituted with inferior-quality rice during transportation and distribution.

Image for representation (HT Photo)

The claim was made by Shiv Sena (UBT) member, Priyank Raut, who presented a sample of the rice to Shirwadkar at the meeting on Monday. He also submitted a year-old copy of an FIR relating to trucks carrying ration supplies being intercepted in Bhiwandi and demanded an inquiry into the alleged irregularities.

Another committee member, Ankit Prabhu, also of the Sena (UBT), pointed to dengue and malaria cases among school students. He demanded regular health check-ups for students and inspections of water tanks in BMC-run schools to prevent mosquito breeding. He also called for healthcare measures to protect students from heat-related illnesses.

Congress corporator Qamar Jahan Siddiqui questioned the rising expenditure on BMC-run kindergartens and sought details of how the money was being used. Siddiqui said the administration needed to provide information about the number of kindergartens, student enrolment, attendance and expenditure. According to the figures raised by her, ₹14.50 crore was spent on kindergartens in 2024-25. The budget allocation for 2025-26 was raised to ₹18.46 crore, a rise of 27.35%.

She sought details of expenditure during 2025-26. She also asked for ward-wise data on operational kindergartens, the number of registered students and their attendance.

Siddiqui demanded details of the last physical inspections, methods used to verify attendance and whether any cases of excess payment had been found. She asked the administration to submit a ward-wise list of kindergartens along with inspection reports to the committee.

Shirwadkar reserved the matter and said the administration would study the issues raised.