In the best interest of children

A little over one week after Assam witnessed massive protests across the State against entrusting some NGOs the task of providing mid-day meals to lakhs of children attending government schools, it is heartening that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has ordered an enquiry into it. The protests appear to be two-fold. One, handing over the contract of providing mid-day meal to some NGOs from ‘outside’ the State, thus pushing into uncertainty the fate of thousands of local persons engaged as cooks and helpers. Two, the allegedly poor and unhygienic food that is reportedly unfit for consumption.

There have also been reports about incidents of a number of students falling ill, especially in upper Assam reportedly after consuming mid-day meals supplied by the newly-appointed NGOs. Besides, there have been protests by cooks and helpers across the State. While ordering officials to complete the enquiry within one month, the Chief Minister has also instructed them to go back to the previous arrangement of mid-day meals being provided by school authorities instead of NGOs till the enquiry is complete. While it is a fact that the entire system of providing mid-day meal in schools has been mired in controversies including numerous allegations of corruption, misappropriation and mismanagement, it must be accepted that this unique scheme had tremendously increased attendance in schools since the Government of India initiated the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education way back in 1995. It is interesting to note that while there was a general aversion to the very idea of mid-day meals in the first few years, it soon became very popular.

The two-pronged strategy – of bringing all children to school and ensuring that no child was left out, and of providing them vital nutrition that has been dangerously lacking – has in fact come to such a stage that the community itself is now more concerned than the government. The present protests prove that while some people within the government have been allegedly showing more enthusiasm in protecting the interests of the NGOs brought in from ‘outside’ the State, the parents, guardians and the community at large are for protecting the interests of the children. Chief Minister Sonowal’s reaction – in ordering an investigation into the fiasco – is definitely a very bold step. But then what he should have probably done is to also order an investigation into why NGOs had to be brought in from ‘outside’ the State, and why NGOs from within the State were not chosen for the task.

There will be a section of officers who will try to explain to the Chief Minister that there are no such NGOs in the State which can handle such a massive operation like providing mid-day meals to lakhs of schoolchildren smoothly. The State Education Minister, who often hits media headlines for his alleged arrogance, unfortunately appears to be in a mood to protect the interests of the ‘outside’ NGOs rather than trying to protect the interests of school children and local people engaged in cooking and serving meals. If that be so, then questions can be raised as to whether there were any specific provisions in the rules that had prevented the government from creating a pool of NGOs which could be trained to carry out this task. After all, this is not something like construction of a bridge or a building where a contractor completes the construction and leaves.

This is a long-lasting programme, and the BJP-led government of Sonowal which often speaks about creating employment for local youth, could have easily contributed towards this end by promoting/creating NGOs capable of handling mid-day meals. One must always keep in mind that a society ceases to be just if it does not keep the interests of its children at the top of its priority list. The health indicators of children in Assam are very poor. Malnutrition has assumed dangerous proportions. Stunting and wasting have affected nearly one-third of the State’s children. The number of under-weight children appears to be on the rise. Assam cannot afford to neglect the best interests of children. And more so because a few days from now, the world will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention for Rights of Children, to which India is an important signatory.