NGOs merely get less students for serving food that sends children to hospitals
18 March 2013 6:53 AM IST
In the current academic session, the mid-day meal cell of Delhi government passed three orders against NGOs supplying mid-day meal.
Except dead lizards and worms found in the food, no action was taken for supplying substandard food for the last three years. All the test reports of mid -day meal samples mentioning ‘the food does not meet the prescribed quality standards’ were silently buried.
The department has supplied only three years’ record of mid-day meal sample reports under RTI number 14153 filed on 27 February 2013.
It says only five (1.07 per cent) of 466 samples tested in 2010-11 passed the test. Among these five mysterious samples one was from the kitchen of NGOs and four were picked up from schools. In 2011-12 only 27 (4.5 per cent) of 541 samples and in 2012-13 only 50 out of 288 samples met the prescribed nutritional standard.
The municipal corporations have passed the buck to Directorate of Education for taking action against NGOs. ‘The mid-day meal samples of all NGOs are substandard and action has been recommended to Directorate of Education, Delhi government,’ said a reply from South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
The Directorate of Education, however, took action against its NGOs but only when a lizard or worms were found. Interestingly, the NGOs whose food were found contaminated with dead lizard and worms were punished after 10 to 11 months. And the punishment was reducing the number of students by one third to one fourth they were allocated. However, no direction to improve the quality of food as per the prescribed nutritional standard was given to these NGOs.
As per the order on 11 June 2012 by Directorate of Education, the number of students of People Welfare Society were reduced by one fourth (3,243 students) for supplying food with worms three times- 18 July, 21 July, and 5 September 2011. In these cases eight students were hospitalised.
After eating the food supplied by Indicate Trust, 44 students were hospitalised on 3 September 2011. The NGO was punished with reduction of students by one third (17,175). Royal Education & Social Welfare Society was also punished with a reduction of students by one third (14,580). The NGO was found guilty for supplying contaminated food on 25 August 2011 in which 10 girls were hospitalised.
Except dead lizards and worms found in the food, no action was taken for supplying substandard food for the last three years. All the test reports of mid -day meal samples mentioning ‘the food does not meet the prescribed quality standards’ were silently buried.
The department has supplied only three years’ record of mid-day meal sample reports under RTI number 14153 filed on 27 February 2013.
It says only five (1.07 per cent) of 466 samples tested in 2010-11 passed the test. Among these five mysterious samples one was from the kitchen of NGOs and four were picked up from schools. In 2011-12 only 27 (4.5 per cent) of 541 samples and in 2012-13 only 50 out of 288 samples met the prescribed nutritional standard.
The municipal corporations have passed the buck to Directorate of Education for taking action against NGOs. ‘The mid-day meal samples of all NGOs are substandard and action has been recommended to Directorate of Education, Delhi government,’ said a reply from South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
The Directorate of Education, however, took action against its NGOs but only when a lizard or worms were found. Interestingly, the NGOs whose food were found contaminated with dead lizard and worms were punished after 10 to 11 months. And the punishment was reducing the number of students by one third to one fourth they were allocated. However, no direction to improve the quality of food as per the prescribed nutritional standard was given to these NGOs.
As per the order on 11 June 2012 by Directorate of Education, the number of students of People Welfare Society were reduced by one fourth (3,243 students) for supplying food with worms three times- 18 July, 21 July, and 5 September 2011. In these cases eight students were hospitalised.
After eating the food supplied by Indicate Trust, 44 students were hospitalised on 3 September 2011. The NGO was punished with reduction of students by one third (17,175). Royal Education & Social Welfare Society was also punished with a reduction of students by one third (14,580). The NGO was found guilty for supplying contaminated food on 25 August 2011 in which 10 girls were hospitalised.
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