Schools question NMC order on home delivery of MDM foodgrains

Abhishek Choudhari | TNN | Apr 21, 2020, 04:58 IST

Nagpur: Schools are questioning why Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) insisted on home delivery of leftover midday meals (MDM) foodgrains to students, even though the state’s order does not mention that.
Since the lockdown in March forced an early closure of schools, the mandatory MDM service was not available for students. Hence, state education department ordered that schools must distribute leftover foodgrains to eligible students.
Purshottam Panchbhai, a senior academician with almost 35 years of teaching experience, said that the NMC had exceeded its brief. “State education department’s original order says that schools must distribute foodgrains in a phased manner to students. Nowhere it says that foodgrains must be home delivered to students. But NMC’s letter to all city schools has added that clause,” said Panchbhai who is also state vice-president of the teachers’ wing of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
School managements have also expressed their displeasure with NMC’s decision. Ravindra Fadnavis, who represents school trustees, said that this decision is in violation of social distancing guidelines.
“Many of the students will be living in congested areas and to go there will be very risky for our teachers. Also, many areas in Nagpur are sealed, so how will that be arranged?” Fadnavis said. He has written to the state education department questioning NMC’s home delivery clause.
Panchbhai said that the entire thing can wait till lockdown is over. “There is hardly any ration left in school because we closed down in mid-March and stock for April had not been picked up. We feel that hardly 1kg of rice will be given to students. It’s not worth the risk I feel,” said Panchbhai.