Mid-day meal scheme hit by rampant corruption in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur
JAGATSINGHPUR: With the suspension of two headmistresses and show cause slapped on six others, the mid-day meal (MDM) scheme in Jagatsinghpur has emerged as a symbol of rampant corruption. Sources said issues like supply of inadequate amount of rice, manipulation of students’ attendance and misappropriation of funds have adversely affected the scheme’s implementation in several schools across the district.
Parents of students enrolled in such schools have sought the intervention of senior officials of the School and Mass Education Department to check large number of irregularities pertaining to the scheme in the district.
In a recent probe, it was found that the headmistress of Tirol Primary School had fudged the attendance of students. Similar instances were also reported from Arada Primary School.Locals said contract agencies allegedly supply less quantity of rice, which is often sub-standard, than required to schools that are covered under the scheme.
District Education Officer (DEO) Prativa Manjari Das recently made surprise visits to different schools of the district and directed the BEO, Tirtol to issue suspension orders to headmistress of Tirtol Primary School
Alok Rashmi Mohanty and headmistress of Arada Primary School Ritarani Rout for large scale irregularities pertaining to the scheme. Besides, Das issued show cause notices to Tirtol Assistant Block Education Officer Anant Kishore Bhuiyan, Cluster Resource Centre Coordinator (CRCC) Askhya Kumar Nayak and other three headmasters.
The extent of the irregularities can be gauged from the fact that since the opening of schools on Wednesday, rice under mid-day meal scheme has not yet reached around 44 primary schools due to delay in supply by transport agencies concerned.