A government school in Maharashtra's Pune on Friday received cattle fodder instead of mid-day meal for students, news agency ANI reported.
Pune mayor Murlidhar Mohol called the incident "unfortunate" and said that an inquiry has been demanded. Although the school is run by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the mid-day meal scheme is run by the state government, he clarified.
In pictures posted by the news agency, several loaded bags of cattle fodder can be seen being checked by the concerned authorities. One of the bags had 'Nutri Rich Pashu Aahar' (nutritious animal fodder) written on it.
In light of the Covid-19 lockdown, the Supreme Court in March last year directed all states to continue the mid-day meal scheme. The central government issued orders in July and August later that year, asking the states to supply foodgrain and pulses to eligible students instead of cooked meals.
In light of these instructions, the Maharashtra government decided to centralise the process and not conduct the tendering for mid-day meals district-wise. In January, it issued a tender notice inviting bids to provide mid-day meals in the form of foodgrain to eligible school children in 7,549 schools across 19 districts at ₹245 crore.
{{/usCountry}}In light of these instructions, the Maharashtra government decided to centralise the process and not conduct the tendering for mid-day meals district-wise. In January, it issued a tender notice inviting bids to provide mid-day meals in the form of foodgrain to eligible school children in 7,549 schools across 19 districts at ₹245 crore.
{{/usCountry}}The mid-day meal scheme, run by the school education & sports department under the government of Maharashtra, aims to improve the nutritional status of children in classes 1-8 in government-sponsored schools in the state, according to an official release.