Lok Sabha Question No. 2065 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-30
Subject: Mid Day Meal Scheme
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: PANKAJ CHOWDHARY, DEVENDRA (ALIAS) BHOLE SINGH SINGH, CHANDRAKANT BHAURAO KHAIRE, RAJESH VERMA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2065 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2018

## Mid Day Meal Scheme

## †2065. SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY:

SHRI DEVENDRA SINGH BHOLE:

SHRI CHANDRAKANT KHAIRE:

SHRI RAJESH VERMA:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  several  children  fell  sick  after  consuming substandard Mid Day Meal in schools in recent past;
- (b) if so, whether the Government has prepared any guidelines regarding quality check of the food served under the Mid Day Meal Scheme in schools across the country;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the details of mechanism prepared by the Government to  ensure  proper  implementation  of  the  said  guidelines  and  if  not,  the  reasons therefor;
- (d) whether it is a fact that almost 76% children in the country are unable to get Mid Day  Meal  and  if  so,  the  reasons  therefor  along  with  the  details  of  expenditure incurred on the said scheme, State/UT-wise ;
- (e) whether the Government proposes to link MDMS fund to Aadhaar so as to provide 100  per  cent  benefit  to  beneficiaries  under  the  Direct  Benefit  Transfer  (DBT) scheme; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and the time by which it is likely to be implemented and if not, the reasons therefor ?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to  (c):  A  total  number  of  38  children  were  reported  ill  after  consuming  mid-day meal in the country during 2018. The Government of India has issued guidelines on quality, safety and hygiene in school level kitchens to all the States and UTs. These guidelines inter-alia provide for instructions to schools to procure Agmark quality and branded items for preparation of mid day meals, tasting of meals by 2-3 adult members of School Management Committee including at least one teacher before serving  to children  and to put in  place a system of testing of  food  samples  by accredited    laboratories.    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.  The Government has also  adopted  an  elaborate  monitoring  mechanism  at  Central,  State  and  District levels to ensure quality food is served to children under the Scheme.  At national level,  an  Empowered  Committee,  headed  by  Minister  of  Human  Resource Development  and  also  a  National  level  Steering-cum-Monitoring  Committee (NSMC) as well as Programme Approval Board (PAB) monitor the scheme and suggest measures for its smooth and effective implementation. At the State level, a State level Steering-cum-Monitoring  Committee  headed  by  the  State Chief Secretary  and,  at  the  District  Level,  a  District  Level  Committee  under  the Chairpersonship  of  the  senior-most  Member  of  Parliament  of  Lok  Sabha  of  the district  monitors the implementation of the scheme in the concerned District.  At local level Gram  Panchayats/Gram Sabhas, members  of Village Education Committees (VECs), Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and the School Management Committees (SMCs) monitor the regularity and wholesomeness of the mid-day meal served to children, cleanliness in cooking and serving of the meal, timeliness in procurement of good quality ingredients, fuel, etc., implementation of variety  in  menu  so  as  to  make  it  attractive  to  children  and  ensuring  social  and gender equity on daily basis.

- (d): No, Madam. Mid-Day Meal ( MDM) Scheme, is an on-going Centrally-Sponsored Scheme which covers all school children studying in Classes I-VIII of Government, Government-Aided,  Special  Training  Centres  including  Madarsas  and  Maqtabs supported under Samagra Shiksha.  The State and UT-wise details of funds released by  Government  of  India  during  the  year  2017-18  under  the  scheme  is  given  at Annexure.
- (e) & (f): Under the MDM Scheme funds are not provided directly to beneficiaries, but hot cooked meal is provided on each school day to the children studying in classes I to VIII.

Annexure

Annexure referred to in reply to part (d) of Lok  Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2065 for  30.07.2018 raised by Shri Pankaj Chaudhary, Shri Devendra Singh Bhole, Shri Chandrakant Khaire, Shri Rajesh Verma regarding Mid Day Meal Scheme.

## Funds released by Government of India during the year 2017-18 under MDMS

| S. No.   | States/UTs        |   Central Assistance Released during 2017-18 (In Lakhs) |
|----------|-------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    |                                                25713.8  |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh |                                                 2551.75 |
| 3        | Assam             |                                                52903.5  |
| 4        | Bihar             |                                                97871.6  |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh      |                                                27683.3  |
| 6        | Goa               |                                                 1230.93 |
| 7        | Gujarat           |                                                40429.9  |
| 8        | Haryana           |                                                 9953.83 |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh  |                                                 8684.1  |
| 10       | Jammu &Kashmir    |                                                 6328.69 |
| 11       | Jharkhand         |                                                30332.6  |
| 12       | Karnataka         |                                                44788.6  |
| 13       | Kerala            |                                                32978.4  |
| 14       | Madhya Pradesh    |                                                58098.9  |
| 15       | Maharashtra       |                                                80310.7  |
| 16       | Manipur           |                                                 2479.76 |
| 17       | Meghalaya         |                                                 6486.73 |
| 18       | Mizoram           |                                                 2018.32 |
| 19       | Nagaland          |                                                 1776.42 |
| 20       | Orissa            |                                                41927.4  |
| 21       | Punjab            |                                                14330.6  |
| 22       | Rajasthan         |                                                41107.1  |
| 23       | Sikkim            |                                                  881.12 |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu        |                                                42506.3  |
| 25       | Telangana         |                                                15494.8  |
| 26       | Tripura           |                                                 5119.04 |
| 27       | Uttarakhand       |                                                 9714.2  |
| 28       | Uttar Pradesh     |                                               100475    |
| 29       | West Bengal       |                                                97146.3  |
| 30       | A&N Islands       |                                                  388.65 |
| 31       | Chandigarh        |                                                  669.35 |
| 32       | D&N Haveli        |                                                  538.44 |
| 33       | Daman &Diu        |                                                  332.16 |
| 34       | Delhi             |                                                 5294.99 |
| 35       | Lakshadweep       |                                                  118.41 |
| 36       | Puducherry        |                                                  402.48 |
|          | TOTAL             |                                               909068    |