Lok Sabha Question No. 216 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-17
Subject: NGOs Involved in Mid Day Meal Scheme
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: K. C. VENUGOPAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 216 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.07.2017

## NGOs involved in Mid Day Meal Scheme

## 216. SHRI K.C VENUGOPAL:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken any decision to include NGOs and private organizations to supply food under Mid Day Meal Scheme and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise ; and
- (b) whether the Government has taken into account the concern of workers currently working in the scheme and if so, the details thereof including the remedial steps taken in this regard?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)

- (a): The Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented in partnership with the States/UTs. The overall responsibility for providing cooked and nutritious mid-day  meal  to  the  eligible  children  lies  with  the  State  Governments  and  Union  Territory Administrations. Apart from school-based kitchens, the MDM guidelines provide for Centralized kitchens run by NGOs for urban areas where there is space constraint. Recently, Mid-Day Meal Rules-2015  were  amended  and  notified  vide  GSR  No.471(E)  dated  16 th May,  2017.  The amendment  provides  that  every  school  shall  have  the  facility  for  cooking  meal  in  hygienic manner  and  the  schools  in  urban  areas  and  in  identified  rural  areas  which  have  good  road connectivity and viable cluster of schools, for the purpose of leveraging efficiency gains, may use the facility of centralised kitchens for cooking meals wherever required in accordance with the  guidelines  issued  by  the  Central  Government  and  the  meal  shall  be  served  to  children  at respective  school  only.    The  State/UT-wise  number  of  schools  covered  by  NGOs  is  given  at Annexure .
- (b): MDM Guidelines envisage engagement of one cook-cum-helper in a school with up to 25 students,  two  cook-cum-helpers  in  a  school  with  26  to  100  students  and  one  additional  cookcum-helper  for  every  addition  of  up  to  100  students.  The  cook-cum-helpers  are  engaged  by respective States/UTs as per above norms and their specific need.  The Revised Guidelines 2017 for engagement of Civil Society Organizations/Non-Govt. Organisations (CSO/NGO) in MDM Scheme provides that 'The State may ensure that, the cook-cum-helpers already engaged in the schools are not displaced in case of expansion of centralized kitchen.  All efforts should be made to retain them as helpers for serving of meals, cleaning of utensils etc. in the school.'

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 216 for 17.07.2017 raised by Shri K.C VENUGOPAL regarding NGOs involved in Mid-Day Meal Scheme.

| S. No.   | State/UT       |   No. of districts where NGOs are serving MDM |   No. of NGO working |   No. of Children covered |   No. of institutions covered |
|----------|----------------|-----------------------------------------------|----------------------|---------------------------|-------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh |                                             5 |                    4 |                    173880 |                          1281 |
| 2        | Assam          |                                             2 |                    1 |                     47249 |                           606 |
| 3        | Bihar          |                                            12 |                    6 |                    822485 |                          2771 |
| 4        | Chhattisgarh   |                                             5 |                    4 |                    106296 |                           678 |
| 5        | Gujarat        |                                             7 |                    3 |                    496859 |                          3264 |
| 6        | Haryana        |                                             4 |                    1 |                    258636 |                          1984 |
| 7        | Jharkhand      |                                             2 |                    1 |                     54316 |                           415 |
| 8        | Karnataka      |                                            14 |                   54 |                    804951 |                          5398 |
| 9        | Madhya Pradesh |                                            14 |                   10 |                    309962 |                          3031 |
| 10       | Maharashtra    |                                             5 |                    2 |                    248748 |                          1571 |
| 11       | Odisha         |                                             9 |                    3 |                    264525 |                          2603 |
| 12       | Punjab         |                                             8 |                    2 |                    179434 |                          1506 |
| 13       | Rajasthan      |                                             5 |                    4 |                    298172 |                          3838 |
| 14       | Telangana      |                                             4 |                    2 |                    168948 |                          1435 |
| 15       | Uttar Pradesh  |                                            22 |                  112 |                   1086423 |                          8356 |
| 16       | West Bengal    |                                             4 |                   79 |                    248165 |                           973 |
| 17       | Delhi          |                                             9 |                   44 |                   1701357 |                          2992 |
|          | Total          |                                           131 |                  332 |                   7270406 |                         42702 |