CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has floated three tenders to outsource the meal preparation and distribution for the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme. According to the tenders, contractors will be selected for the three corporation regions (north, south, and central) to manage 35 cluster kitchens and distribute meals to 356 schools. These kitchens will serve breakfast to 49,147 students from classes 1 to 5 at a cost of Rs 13.7 crore.
Any delay or compromise in the quality or quantity in the food supplied will attract fines ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000, according to the tender conditions. Currently, women’s self-help groups prepare and distribute the food to schools from cluster kitchens including centres like Amma Unavagams.
According to the tender documents, contractors must establish and maintain hygienic kitchens in corporation-allocated buildings, adhering to food safety guidelines.
GCC will provide infrastructure such as kitchen buildings, water, electricity and gas connections, while the consumption charges will be borne by the contractor.
To ensure quality, contractors must maintain registers for raw materials and comply with GST and food safety certifications. Measures such as anti-fly and rat-proof facilities are mandatory, and garbage must be composted and collected in closed bins. The food supply system will be monitored using a specifically developed mobile app, and inspections by third-party agencies and food safety officers.
However, the move has sparked opposition from a section of councillors including CPM councillor Vimala B from ward 41. She said it could jeopardise the well-being of students and affect the livelihood of SHGs. “SHGs are doing a good job under GCC’s monitoring, yet outsourcing might introduce inconsistencies,” she said.
Vimala said the outsourcing proposal was introduced in November 2023 in the corporation council and it was shelved after facing flak. Raising concern that the tenders were floated without any prior information, she added, “Will the same happen with other proposals that were put off due to opposition, like the recently cancelled outsourcing of football turfs?”
The official added there will be no significant difference in costs after outsourcing the operation.