Centre asks UTs, states to resume mid-day meals

The states and UTs have been asked to take immediate appropriate action and send a plan to the ministry by November 22.

The Centre has asked all the states and union territories (UTs) to resume the provision of cooked hot meals to eligible children attending schools under the government’s flagship Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) scheme while strictly adhering to the Covid-19 guidelines.

The mid-day meal scheme was disrupted after the Centre imposed nationwide lockdown owing the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. (HT File)

When the schools were closed in March 2020, following the implementation of a nationwide lockdown, the erstwhile mid-day meal scheme was disrupted. The Centre had advised all the states and UTs to provide food security allowance to all eligible students to meet their nutritional requirements. Over the last one and half years, states have either transferred allowance or distributed dry ration among eligible students.

In a letter sent to all the states and UTs on Wednesday, the ministry of education’s department of school education and literacy said, “With the improvement of (covid-19) situation, many states and UTs are progressively reopening schools. It is advised to resume provision of hot cooked meals to eligible students attending schools by adhering to the prevalent covid appropriate protocols and social distancing norms as prescribed by the competent authority.”

The states and UTs have been asked to take immediate appropriate action and send a plan to the ministry by November 22.

“Timely action at your end will go a long way in providing much-needed nutrition through hot cooked meals to the children,” the letter added.

Under the recently rechristened PM-POSHAN scheme, 118 million students enrolled in classes 1-8 across 1.1 million schools will be benefitted. The scheme now also covers pre-primary students. While students enrolled in primary classes (1-5) are entitled to 100 food gram grains per working day under the scheme, those in upper primary classes (6-8) get 150-gram food grains to ensure a minimum of 700 calories. The new scheme now also has a provision for supplementary nutrition for children in aspirational districts and those with a high prevalence of anaemia.

According to the SoPs shared by the ministry with the states, the cook-cum help workers will be wearing masks during cleaning, washing, cutting, cooking and serving of meals. They would not be allowed to wear nail polish, watches, rings, jewellery and bangles during cooking and serving the food to avoid the possibility of “danger of contamination of the product.”

“The kitchen cum store/place of cooking must be deep cleaned and sanitized before 24 hours of actual cooking after reopening of schools…Cleaning accessories such as clothes, mops and brushes carry a very high risk of cross-contamination. They must therefore be thoroughly washed, cleaned and dried after use,” the SoPs stated.

The SoPs further stated that serving and dining areas should also be well sanitized before and after food consumption and students should either be served mid-day meals in a staggered manner or their classes. “The school children should also wear face cloth/ masks while the food is being served and at all times in the dining area except while eating/drinking...Hand wash with soap for a minimum of 40 seconds before and after eating MDM should be vigorously promoted,” it added.

Besides, states have been asked to ensure schools have a continuous drinking water supply and proper waste disposal.