HC seeks plan to deliver nutritious food to kids under govt scheme in TN

Chennai: The Madras high court on Friday issued a notice to the state government to file its response on how it plans to ensure that children, who are missing mid-day meals since schools are closed, can receive adequate and nourished food

Chennai: The Madras high court on Friday issued a notice to the state government to file its response on how it plans to ensure that children, who are missing mid-day meals since schools are closed, can receive adequate and nourished food.

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The bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said that this matter needs “the immediate urgent attention of the State.” The court made the observations on a plea which sought the state to provide food and nutritional content as referred to in the National Food Security Act, 2013 daily to children, who are enrolled in the midday meal scheme, at their doorstep.

The court said that there may be logistic and practical difficulties in this regard but it must be done given that these families have lost income due to the pandemic situation and lockdown. “There is no doubt that aggressive steps need be taken by the State to ensure that the children are well fed and nourished, particularly since many families have lost jobs or have less resources available as a result of the pandemic and business not being normal,” the court said.

The judges suggested that the state could organise the drive through corporations and municipalities in urban and semi-urban areas. And in rural areas where it may be more difficult, the state was asked to rope in NGOs besides using the panchayat system.

“For such purpose, notices be issued immediately,” the court said. The matter has been posted to July 7 for the Tamil Nadu government’s initial response. “It would serve the children well if the State has a road-map ready so that the lack of adequate food and nourishment that children have suffered over the last 15 months or so, particularly among the more vulnerable sections, may be remedied without delay,” the court said.