NGOs can’t meet nutritional standards for mid-day meals
21 July 2013 4:45 AM IST
The NGOs responsible for supplying mid-day meals to the schools of municipal corporations in the capital on Friday echoed a unanimous view that meeting the prescribed nutritional standards is impossible are given the price rise.
In a meeting with senior officers and leaders of North and South Delhi Municipal Corporations, the representatives of six NGOs managed to convince the civic agencies that they should not emphasise on meeting the prescribed nutritional standards because none of the NGOs could meet the norms in city in the last three years.
‘The NGOs contended that meeting the prescribed nutritional norms in terms of protein and calorie value in not possible in the present circumstances and demanded that action should not be initiated against them,’ said MSA Khan, additional commissioner of NDMC. Khan said the NGOs contended that the raw material and cooking cost is too high to meet the prescribed nutritional standards of 12 gm protein and 450 calorie energy in each meal.
According to the deal between the civic agencies and NGOs, the latter would be penalised if the samples fail to meet minimum nutritional requirements. The NGOs also contended that the central government revised protein and calorie norms from 8 gm and 350 calorie to 12 gm and 450 calorie in 2006 without increasing the fund allocated for providing the meals.
‘In our inspections of the kitchens and schools to monitor mid-day meal scheme, we will focus on hygiene only. The NGOs unanimously echoed protein and calorie norms are impractical,’ said Mahender Nagpal, leader of House in NDMC.
The representatives of three NGOs — Stri Shakti, Maitri Research and Development Foundation, Surya Charitable and Welfare Society — attended the meeting. The NGOs were
directed to present a detailed report on the steps
needed to improve the quality of meals. Similarly, in SDMC representatives of three NGOs — Jay Gee, ISKON and Ekta Shakti also presented same logic. These NGOs are presently being supplied 100 gm of grain and Rs 3.89 per student per meal under the scheme.
‘The market price of constituents that go into preparing a meal has increased several-fold. This is a major hindrance in meeting the quality standards. We have asked the Delhi government to increase the allocation but nothing has happened so far,’ said representative of an NGO.
A total of eight NGOs supply mid-day meal to over 10 lakh students of three municipal corporations through nine centralised kitchens in the capital.
In a meeting with senior officers and leaders of North and South Delhi Municipal Corporations, the representatives of six NGOs managed to convince the civic agencies that they should not emphasise on meeting the prescribed nutritional standards because none of the NGOs could meet the norms in city in the last three years.
‘The NGOs contended that meeting the prescribed nutritional norms in terms of protein and calorie value in not possible in the present circumstances and demanded that action should not be initiated against them,’ said MSA Khan, additional commissioner of NDMC. Khan said the NGOs contended that the raw material and cooking cost is too high to meet the prescribed nutritional standards of 12 gm protein and 450 calorie energy in each meal.
According to the deal between the civic agencies and NGOs, the latter would be penalised if the samples fail to meet minimum nutritional requirements. The NGOs also contended that the central government revised protein and calorie norms from 8 gm and 350 calorie to 12 gm and 450 calorie in 2006 without increasing the fund allocated for providing the meals.
‘In our inspections of the kitchens and schools to monitor mid-day meal scheme, we will focus on hygiene only. The NGOs unanimously echoed protein and calorie norms are impractical,’ said Mahender Nagpal, leader of House in NDMC.
The representatives of three NGOs — Stri Shakti, Maitri Research and Development Foundation, Surya Charitable and Welfare Society — attended the meeting. The NGOs were
directed to present a detailed report on the steps
needed to improve the quality of meals. Similarly, in SDMC representatives of three NGOs — Jay Gee, ISKON and Ekta Shakti also presented same logic. These NGOs are presently being supplied 100 gm of grain and Rs 3.89 per student per meal under the scheme.
‘The market price of constituents that go into preparing a meal has increased several-fold. This is a major hindrance in meeting the quality standards. We have asked the Delhi government to increase the allocation but nothing has happened so far,’ said representative of an NGO.
A total of eight NGOs supply mid-day meal to over 10 lakh students of three municipal corporations through nine centralised kitchens in the capital.
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