NAGPUR: Despite a month-long delay, over 50,000 students of Nagpur Municipal Corporation schools will start getting complete mid-day meal from August 1.
Sources said, "NMC has become first civic body in state to provide complete mid-day meal to over 50,000 standard I-VIII students of 222 civic schools. Students will be given complete meal comprising chapatti , vegetable, dal, rice and salads for two days, vegetable pulav (masala bhat), besan-bhat and pulses (usal) and sprouted pulses on Saturdays."
The NMC standing committee had passed the ambitious proposal for the scheme at a meeting on June 28. It took exactly a month for its implementation following delay in the approval of NMC annual budget, sources added.
Talking to TOI, chairman, NMC education committee, Kailash Chute said, "Most students from corporation schools belong to weaker sections of the society . And this section of society gives more importance to earning for the family than getting their children educated. Under the state government's mid-day meal scheme these students were provided 'khichdi' during last academic session, however students were fed up of eating 'khichdi' every day."
Many times, said Chute, it has been witnessed that students chose to skip classes to avoid eating the meal which further reflected in the class attendance . This was the primary reason for NMC to take up the decision of providing full meal to student's right from class I-VIII Chute added.
Over 300 women self help groups, who have two years experience and were registered with social welfare department have been roped in for the scheme. Civic body has further given approval to an expenditure of Rs 3.21 crore apart from the state government aid of Rs 1.68 crore for mid-day meal scheme, Chute added.
Dreams of free uniforms hang in balance
NAGPUR: The dream of Mahesh, a student of standard IV in a Nagpur Municipal Corporation run school to wear new uniform is far from being fulfilled. Thanks to the inefficiency of NMC's education department, contracts for school uniforms are yet to be allotted and students are still awaiting for their new uniforms.
Despite assurance from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) that school uniforms will be supplied free of cost to the students on the day the schools reopen , students haven't yet received any uniform even a month has passed after the schools were re-opened .
Sources said there are thousands of students like Mahesh, who belong to poor family and were eagerly waiting for their new uniforms. As many as 54,357 students from schools run by the education board of the civic body will have to wait for another three to four months for their uniforms.
According to information , corporation had decided to provide free of cost uniforms to the students of class I to VIII, but it has not been done so far. All funds for primary education have been provided by the Centre and the state government , but it has not been utilised properly , alleged a source. Moreover, the education department of NMC had also finalised the colour of new uniforms . According to the proposal, boys were supposed to get white shirts and grey pants, while for girls it was grey kurtaas and white salwars. Interestingly, the civic body had also earmarked Rs 1.97 crore in its annual budget of 2008-09 for the said purpose. "The lackadaisical attitude of NMC officials would result in the lapse of annual funds allotted under education head," said the source.
Speaking to TOI, V G Nalat, education officer NMC, admitted the delay and said that the process to give the contract of supplying uniforms is very much underway and the same would be completed as soon as they receive approval from the state.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nagpur/NMC_school_students_to_get_mid-day_meal_from_Aug_1/articleshow/3300036.cms
