Lok Sabha Question No. 30 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-03
Subject: NGOs Working for MDMS
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Ganesan Selvam, Gautham Sigamani Pon, Heena Vijaykumar Gavit, Rebati Tripura, Dhanush M Kumar

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 30 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.02.2020

## NGOs Working for MDMS

## 30. SHRI SELVAM G:

SHRI GAUTAM SIGAMAANI PON:

DR. HEENA GAVIT:

SHRI REBATI TRIPURA:

SHRI DHANUSH M. KUMAR:

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

- (a) whether the NGOs are providing meals to schools through centralised kitchens under Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme and if so, the number thereof, State/ UT-wise;
- (b) the number of Rural and Urban schools covered by NGOs, State/UT-wise especially Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu;
- (c) whether the samples collected from NGO's centralised kitchen have been found to be in  compliance  with  prescribed  standards  and  nutritive  values  and  if  so,  the  details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor and the steps taken in this direction;
- (d)  whether it  is  a  fact  that  NGO's engaged in preparing mid-day meals  for children in rural areas have turned the scheme into a profit making exercise and deviated from the purpose and if so, the details thereof;
- (e)  whether  the  Government  is  considering  to  eliminate  the  role  of  NGOs  in  preparing mid-day meal in rural areas and if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the State Governments thereto; and
- (f)  the  other  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  mid-day  meal  are mandatorily tested by accredited labs each month for maintaining quality and nutrition?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK')

- (a) &  (b):  The  Mid-Day  Meal  Scheme  (MDMS)  is  implemented  in  partnership  with States and UTs. The overall responsibility for providing cooked and nutritious midday  meal  to  the  eligible  children  lies  with  the  State  Governments  and  Union Territory  Administrations.  State  and  UT  Governments  engage  NGOs  /  Voluntary Organizations for preparing meals in Centralized kitchens for identified clusters of schools. As per the information provided by the States and UTs, at present 17 States and UTs have engaged NGOs / Voluntary Organizations under the Scheme. In the State of Tamil Nadu no NGOs have been engaged for providing meals in schools. The State and UT-wise details of NGOs engaged and the numbers of rural and urban schools covered by NGOs under the Scheme are given at Annexure-I.
- (c) to (f):  The Government of India has issued guidelines on quality, safety and hygiene in school level kitchens to all the States and UTs to address the quality issue. These guidelines  inter-alia  provide  that  the  States/UTs  must  consider  engaging  CSIR Institutes  /  NABL  accredited  laboratories  and  FSSAI  accredited  laboratories  for undertaking testing of samples of MDM for food safety and contamination. Further, the MDM  Rules,  2015  provide for mandatory testing of food samples by Government  recognized  laboratories  to  ensure  that  the  meals  meet  nutritional standards and quality. As per the information provided by the States and UTs, 1483 samples  have  been  collected  from  schools  covered  by  NGOs  and  all  are  found  in compliance  with  the  norms  prescribed under  the  Scheme.  The  State  and  UT-wise details of these samples are given at Annexure-II.

States  and  UTs  have  not  reported  any  case  of  engagement  of  NGOs  those  have turned the scheme into a profit making exercise in rural areas across the country.  As per  revised  guidelines  for  engagement  of  Civil  Society  Organizations  (CSO)  /Non Govt. Organizations (NGO) in Mid-Day-Meal Scheme.  CSO/NGO may be engaged for supply of hot cooked meal under MDMS for a cluster of schools in urban areas or  in  identified  rural  areas  which  have  good  road  connectivity,  for  the  purpose  of leveraging efficiency gains.

********

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) & (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 30 for 03.02.2020  raised  by  Shri  Selvam  G,  Shri  Gautam  Sigamaani  Pon,  Dr.  Heena  Gavit,  Shri Rebati Tripura, Shri Dhanush M. Kumar regarding NGOs Working for MDMS

Details of NGOs engaged and the numbers of rural and urban schools covered by NGOs under Mid-Day Meal Scheme

| S. No.   | State               | Number of NGOs providing MDM   | Number of districts in which NGOs are serving MDM   | Number of schools covered by NGOs   | Number of schools covered by NGOs   | Number of schools covered by NGOs   |
|----------|---------------------|--------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| S. No.   | State               | Number of NGOs providing MDM   | Number of districts in which NGOs are serving MDM   | Rural                               | Urban                               | Total                               |
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh      | 7                              | 13                                                  | 3575                                | 1358                                | 4933                                |
| 2        | Assam               | 1                              | 2                                                   | 402                                 | 143                                 | 545                                 |
| 3        | Bihar               | 6                              | 12                                                  | 856                                 | 1842                                | 2698                                |
| 4        | Chhattisgarh        | 5                              | 5                                                   | 0                                   | 681                                 | 681                                 |
| 5        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 1                              | 1                                                   | 265                                 | 15                                  | 280                                 |
| 6        | Daman &Diu          | 1                              | 1                                                   | 47                                  | 15                                  | 62                                  |
| 7        | Delhi               | 52                             | 13                                                  | 0                                   | 2951                                | 2951                                |
| 8        | Gujarat             | 3                              | 9                                                   | 1959                                | 1443                                | 3402                                |
| 9        | Haryana             | 1                              | 4                                                   | 1520                                | 407                                 | 1927                                |
| 10       | Jharkhand           | 1                              | 2                                                   | 176                                 | 200                                 | 376                                 |
| 11       | Karnataka           | 66                             | 13                                                  | 2361                                | 2458                                | 4819                                |
| 12       | Madhya Pradesh      | 23                             | 19                                                  | 0                                   | 3740                                | 3740                                |
| 13       | Maharashtra         | 4                              | 10                                                  | 789                                 | 2605                                | 3394                                |
| 14       | Odisha              | 6                              | 12                                                  | 2466                                | 952                                 | 3418                                |
| 15       | Rajasthan           | 3                              | 9                                                   | 2291                                | 1705                                | 3996                                |
| 16       | Telangana           | 2                              | 7                                                   | 1160                                | 938                                 | 2098                                |
| 17       | Uttar Pradesh       | 112                            | 26                                                  | 4634                                | 2888                                | 7522                                |
|          | Total               | 294                            | 158                                                 | 22501                               | 24341                               | 46842                               |

Annexure referred to in reply to part (c) to (f) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 30 for 03.02.2020 raised by Shri Selvam G, Shri Gautam Sigamaani Pon, Dr. Heena Gavit, Shri Rebati Tripura, Shri Dhanush M. Kumar regarding NGOs Working for MDMS

## Details of samples collected from schools covered by NGOs under Mid-Day Meal Scheme

| S. No.   | State / UT          |   Number of NGOs providing MDM |   Number of samples collected from schools covered by NGOs |   Number of samples found in compliance with norms |
|----------|---------------------|--------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh      |                              7 |                                                          0 |                                                  0 |
| 2        | Assam               |                              1 |                                                         12 |                                                 12 |
| 3        | Bihar               |                              6 |                                                         29 |                                                 29 |
| 4        | Chhattisgarh        |                              5 |                                                         10 |                                                 10 |
| 5        | Gujarat             |                              3 |                                                         78 |                                                 78 |
| 6        | Haryana             |                              1 |                                                         68 |                                                 68 |
| 7        | Jharkhand           |                              1 |                                                          0 |                                                  0 |
| 8        | Karnataka           |                             66 |                                                         95 |                                                 95 |
| 9        | Madhya Pradesh      |                             23 |                                                         12 |                                                 12 |
| 10       | Maharashtra         |                              4 |                                                         42 |                                                 42 |
| 11       | Odisha              |                              6 |                                                          2 |                                                  2 |
| 12       | Rajasthan           |                              3 |                                                         12 |                                                 12 |
| 13       | Telangana           |                              2 |                                                         41 |                                                 41 |
| 14       | Uttar Pradesh       |                            112 |                                                        156 |                                                156 |
| 15       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli |                              1 |                                                          0 |                                                  0 |
| 16       | Daman &Diu          |                              1 |                                                          0 |                                                  0 |
| 17       | Delhi               |                             52 |                                                        926 |                                                926 |
|          | Total               |                            294 |                                                       1483 |                                               1483 |