Cooking cost of Mid-Day Meal scheme to reach students through DBT mode

Srinagar, Mar 29 :  School Education Department has directed all the Chief Education Officers to submit bank account details of eligible students/ under parents within ten -days for crediting the cooking cost of Mid-Day Meal Scheme directly to them via Direct Benefit Transfer mode.

The Government has also decided that two-month advance dry ration (Rice) would be provided to the eligible children through the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.

The initiative was taken in view of the closure of schools due to Covid-19 outbreak.

Principal Secretary School Education Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon has already directed Chief Education Officers (CEOs) to distribute two-month advance Dry Ration (Rice) to the eligible 886905 children (Primary 584387) & (Upper Primary 302518) in all districts of J&K.

Dr Samoon said the 4700.76 mt tonnes of food grains for 1st quarter of 2020-21 has already been approved for distribution to eligible children in J&K by Mid-day meal directorate.

He added that the initiative taken by the Lt Governor would continue till the situation returns to normal.

It is pertinent to mention that Mid-Day meal scheme is aimed to improve the Nutritional status of the children from classes I to VIII besides encouraging poor children to attend more regularly. According to the scheme, every child enrolled in the primary class is provided a free supply of 100 grams of food grains per day and 150 grams are provided to every child of Upper Primary respectively.

The Scheme has also a provision to spent Rs. 4.48 for cooking purposes for every child of Primary level per day and Rs. 6.71 for every Upper Primary level child per day.

Mission Director Mid-Day Meal scheme Dr Arun Manhas said they have received good response from CEOs and already more than 60% of bank account details of students have been submitted to the directorate.

“We are completing the account collection process within the stipulated time,” he said.