Delay in supply of funds causing irregularity in supply of Mid Day Meal in Manipur
Chandel(Manipur), April 27: The implementation of Mid Day Meal(MDM) scheme in Manipur is seen in a very poor condition as very few schools were found in the State where the MDM are served on regular basis.
At times where the children and students of our states and country as a whole has been regarded as the future of our country, and greater emphasis and every possible effort is being made for the uplifment of a child health, but a reverse and different scerio is being observed in the entire State of Manipur.
From the baseline survey it has been found that in the majority of the schools in the district of Chandel, the implementation of MDM scheme is in a very poor condition. There has been a widespread allegation from the authorities of the schools that huge delay in release of cooking cost from State to district level have ultimately resulted in interruption in the supply of MDM to the children at the school.
Apart from this the delay in release of fund has also been reported for transport assistance, honorarium to cook cum helpers. Also for the kitchen shed and other necessary kitchen devices the fund has not yet been released and sanction is still awaited from State Government.
As per the report of Joint Review Mission(JRM) on MDM for the State of Manipur, in most of the schools visited as a part of the survey by the review team, negative balance of cooking cost has been observed, which should have been an outcome of delay of funds from the State to districts and from districts to school. During an interaction with the headmasters of the schools by the review team, it has been found that, in case of uvailability of fund from the district authority they maged the same from their own pockets for most of the months. However due to poor record maintence many of the schools could not produce the proper records in support of their claim. Uvailability of cooking cost and other fund at school level might have resulted in supply of MDM to children on regular basis. Uvailability of cooking cost becomes especially hard in schools to maintain the regularity in supply of MDM as firewood, vegetables and other ingredients have to be procured in payment of cash and no credit is available to small farmers and vendors.
