meal scheme increased

The central government has enhanced the per student cooking cost under the Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), HRD minister Smriti Irani said on Monday.  Irani said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that the ‘per student cooking cost under the scheme has been enhanced with effect from 1 July, 2014’. The per day cooking cost per child at the primary level in 2013-14 was Rs.3.34 and it has been increased to Rs.3.59 while the cooking cost per child at the upper primary level has been increased from Rs.5 to Rs.5.38. The MDMS is a school meal programme that covers 10.8 crore children in over 11.58 lakh government and government-aided schools on a daily basis, said a statement from the human resource development ministry.