The state government has enough reasons to not begrudge people complaining about engagement of NGO ‘Akshaya Patra’ for breakfast scheme in Chennai Schools.
Students having noon-meal at a school (File photo)
Chennai:
In fact, the state has just entered the 100th year of implementation of the scheme. It was in this year a century ago, Sir PT Theyagarayar, the then president (Mayor) of Chennai Corporation had introduced the tiffin in a Corporation run school in Thousand Lights area.
Over the last century, the scheme had undergone numerous experiments and suffered a few occasional setbacks, but the state was steadfast in addressing the nutrition concerns of its students and promoting education. For instance, when Kamarajar had approached the Centre for funds in the 1950s, he was initially denied and even asked if the school education department was educating children or feeding them. The case was no different with MG Ramachandran, who had to stage a walk out from the then Planning Commission meeting before successfully parleying politically with then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to keep providing nutritious meal to the school children.
During the infamous famine of 1960s, the state had even improvised USAID to feed the students. Later in late 1990s when the quality of egg supplied became a topic of hot debate, briefly during M Karunanidhi 1996-2001 regime or in subsequent Jayalalithaa regime when the government briefly suspended egg and tried alternatives, there was a minor hiccup, but never a disruption in service or outsourcing of it to private players.
“Where is the need for engaging a private player when you have such an elaborate infrastructure? Will the noon meal centers not supply breakfast if they are asked to?” wondered economist J Jeyaranjan. “There should only be a few reasons. Either the existing scheme should be insufficient or not nutritious or private do it better. If it is insufficient, govt must address it. Government should source more funds if there is paucity of funds. Better if the Centre allotted the entire fund required for the scheme. Engaging private player is nothing but surrendering the hard-won rights of the state and making a social security scheme a charity. Allowing a private player because he provides it for free is like taking annadhanam at temple. The private player can pull out any time citing want of funds. A scheme started by Justice party, extended by Congress Kamarajar, value added by AIADMK’s MGR, Jayalalithaa and DMK’s Karunanidhi is being surrendered by the incumbent rulers,” he added. When contacted, a Chennai Corporation education department official, said that the kitchen of Akshaya Patra was inspected before they started their operation in Thiruvanmiyur last year. “They have fully automated the kitchen. Also, the teachers at the schools are asked to taste the food first before serving them to the students. They are checking the quality of food every day,” he added. “We have not received any complaint from students, teachers or even parents regarding the taste or quality of the food,” the officer remarked.
Meal components
The state provides eggs with minimum weight of 46 gms along with hot cooked nutritious variety meals on all working days which provides 6.12 gms of protein and 80 kcal of energy. Bananas are provided to children who do not eat egg. 100 gms of banana provides 116 kcal of energy and 1.2 gms of protein. Nearly, 12,946 children benefit from the banana supply.
On the first and third Tuesdays of every month 20 gms of ‘Black Bengal Gram’ is provided to each child in the form of ‘Pulav’ which provides 72 kcal of energy and 3.42 gms of protein. On the second and fourth Thursday of every month 20 gms of ‘Green Gram’ is provided as ‘sundal’ to each child which provides 67 kcal of energy and 4.80 gms of protein. Every Friday the children are provided with 20 gms of chilly fried potato to increase the carbohydrate content, which has 19.04 kcal of energy and 0.32 gms of protein.
Whether the contentious garlic and onion-free menu of the NGO might appeal to the taste budges of the students, outsourcing breakfast scheme was a slap in the face of the government’s efficiency. Such is the illustrious and successful history of the state, which has earned the moniker, pioneer of mid-day meal scheme in the country for successful implementation of the scheme. That the state was cited as a model for others to emulate and even won the laurels of renowned economists and even the Supreme Court on a few instances in related cases should justify the concerns of the skeptics and critics equally alike.
In fact, the state has just entered the 100th year of implementation of the scheme. It was in this year a century ago, Sir PT Theyagarayar, the then president (Mayor) of Chennai Corporation had introduced the tiffin in a Corporation run school in Thousand Lights area.
Over the last century, the scheme had undergone numerous experiments and suffered a few occasional setbacks, but the state was steadfast in addressing the nutrition concerns of its students and promoting education. For instance, when Kamarajar had approached the Centre for funds in the 1950s, he was initially denied and even asked if the school education department was educating children or feeding them. The case was no different with MG Ramachandran, who had to stage a walk out from the then Planning Commission meeting before successfully parleying politically with then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to keep providing nutritious meal to the school children.
During the infamous famine of 1960s, the state had even improvised USAID to feed the students. Later in late 1990s when the quality of egg supplied became a topic of hot debate, briefly during M Karunanidhi 1996-2001 regime or in subsequent Jayalalithaa regime when the government briefly suspended egg and tried alternatives, there was a minor hiccup, but never a disruption in service or outsourcing of it to private players.
“Where is the need for engaging a private player when you have such an elaborate infrastructure? Will the noon meal centers not supply breakfast if they are asked to?” wondered economist J Jeyaranjan. “There should only be a few reasons. Either the existing scheme should be insufficient or not nutritious or private do it better. If it is insufficient, govt must address it. Government should source more funds if there is paucity of funds. Better if the Centre allotted the entire fund required for the scheme. Engaging private player is nothing but surrendering the hard-won rights of the state and making a social security scheme a charity. Allowing a private player because he provides it for free is like taking annadhanam at temple. The private player can pull out any time citing want of funds. A scheme started by Justice party, extended by Congress Kamarajar, value added by AIADMK’s MGR, Jayalalithaa and DMK’s Karunanidhi is being surrendered by the incumbent rulers,” he added. When contacted, a Chennai Corporation education department official, said that the kitchen of Akshaya Patra was inspected before they started their operation in Thiruvanmiyur last year. “They have fully automated the kitchen. Also, the teachers at the schools are asked to taste the food first before serving them to the students. They are checking the quality of food every day,” he added. “We have not received any complaint from students, teachers or even parents regarding the taste or quality of the food,” the officer remarked.
Meal components
The state provides eggs with minimum weight of 46 gms along with hot cooked nutritious variety meals on all working days which provides 6.12 gms of protein and 80 kcal of energy. Bananas are provided to children who do not eat egg. 100 gms of banana provides 116 kcal of energy and 1.2 gms of protein. Nearly, 12,946 children benefit from the banana supply.
On the first and third Tuesdays of every month 20 gms of ‘Black Bengal Gram’ is provided to each child in the form of ‘Pulav’ which provides 72 kcal of energy and 3.42 gms of protein. On the second and fourth Thursday of every month 20 gms of ‘Green Gram’ is provided as ‘sundal’ to each child which provides 67 kcal of energy and 4.80 gms of protein. Every Friday the children are provided with 20 gms of chilly fried potato to increase the carbohydrate content, which has 19.04 kcal of energy and 0.32 gms of protein.