When Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is talking of nutritious milk to school children, schools in Koppal district have been serving them rice with a watery soup and some floating vegetables from July. This scene may be repeating all across the state.
Schools in remote areas like Kabbaragi and Hulageri villages in Kushtagi taluk of the district have suspended mid-day meals. In other parts of the district, schoolchildren say: “We are gulping down rice with water.”
The reason: The state government has not released money needed to buy tur dal and edible oil, the main ingredients for sambar.
Mid-day meal Scheme joint director S Jayakumar told Express on Friday that the release of grants for the second quarter was delayed across the state due to revisions in the latest Budget. “The Centre has already released its share to the state government. Within the next few days, the grants will be released to all the districts,” he said. But till the money is released, schoolchildren have to suffer.
Fund crunch
An official in the Koppal ZP, on condition of anonymity, said: “The ‘sambar’ being cooked is nothing but watery soup with a few pieces of vegetables.”
The Centre and state fund the scheme at a ratio of 75:25.
Funds to the tune of Rs 5 crore is required in every quarter of the year for the scheme to run smoothly in Koppal district, feeding 1.98 lakh children.
There was no problem in the first quarter as both governments released their share.
But since July, though rice has been arranged for the second quarter of the year with the help of the Food Corporation of India for the scheme, there has been no provision for sambar and spices.
Sources said the Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Corporation (KFCSC) insists on a cash-and-carry system for the supply of tur dal and edible oil for the scheme.