MUMBAI: Thousands of government and aided schools across Maharashtra are facing a severe foodgrain crunch under the PM POSHAN, better known as the mid-day meal scheme, leaving teachers struggling to arrange rice and other essential items for students. Schools in most districts of Vidarbha, Marathwada, Pune and Raigad regions have not received foodgrain supplies for almost three months, forcing teachers to get groceries and rice on credit from local shopkeepers in order to keep the children’s mid-day meals going.
Event Context
Teachers that HT spoke to said that shopkeepers were now refusing further credit since previous dues remained pending. In several schools, the unpaid credit has crossed dues for 500 kg of rice. Teachers warned that if fresh supplies did not reach immediately, they would not be able to provide cooked meals to students.
Ramakant Kathmore, deputy director of the school education department and in charge of the mid-day meal section, admitted that a delay had occurred and it was because agreements with suppliers were still pending in some parts of the state. “We know that some schools are taking supplies on credit, and we have instructed local officers to arrange for grain supplies from the nearest available centres,” he said. “There is also a buffer stock for four weeks. We will finalise agreements with suppliers within the next two to four days.”
Criticising the government, Vijay Kombe, chairperson of the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers Committee, said the department ought to have completed the supply process before the academic year began. “Teachers are already handling academics, census work, and other government duties,” he said. “Now they are being forced to arrange foodgrains by visiting shops and requesting credit. This situation should never have happened.”
Match Outlook
The common sentiment among the teachers was that they had exhausted all options and could not continue this way for much longer. “We are now reporting on the PM POSHAN mobile app that meals can no longer be prepared because foodgrain stocks have run out,” they said. “We have also appealed to the education authorities for immediate guidance, because providing nutritious food is closely linked to children’s education. Also, food security is a basic right.”
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The PM POSHAN scheme, launched in 1995 as the National Mid-Day Meal Scheme, provides nutritious meals to students of government and government-aided schools. According to the government resolution, primary school (Classes 1 to 5) students are entitled to 450 calories and 12 grams of protein (100 grams of rice and 20 grams of pulses) while upper primary (Classes 6 to 8) students should get 700 calories and 20 grams of protein (150 grams of rice and 30 grams of pulses) per student per day.
Teachers from different districts have been resorting to all kinds of ways to feed students, including taking grains on credit. Some have been borrowing from local grocers for weeks and have run up a credit of hundreds of kilos of rice. One school collected 200 kg of rice through public donations while some teachers told HT that they had spent their own money to buy rice, cooking oil and spices to ensure that students did not miss their meals.
