Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant today said that the state government is ready to increase the rate of Mid day meal provided by the SHGs on the condition that good quality food be provided to the students.
“Those SHG which say that rate of mid day meal be increased, the state government is ready to increase the rate of Mid day meal provided by the SHGs on the condition that good quality food be provided to the students,” said CM Sawant while speaking on the sidelines of a function
He further said that quality food must be provided as per government norms as at some places there is no good quality of food provided to students.
“I am clearly stating that at some places no good meal is provided to the students and it should not be like only 50 percent of students eat the meals,” he added
The Goa State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights had asked the education department to respond to a news report that mid-day meal suppliers have threatened to stop school supplies over unpaid dues and rising costs.
The Commission said the provision of a meal is a key reason that many children attend/can attend school, and if the food is taken away, their attendance is likely to fall, and their learning will suffer.
“The facility of mid-day meal in the schools has attracted the young children and their parents towards schools to continue their studies. The scheme has also helped children from a poor background to get an education and save themselves from malnutrition,” it said.
