Centre allocates Rs 283cr for state’s noon meal programme

Thiruvananthapuram: Union government has approved the Rs 449-crore noon meal programme for schools in Kerala for 2020-21 academic year. The programme approval committee of ministry of human resources development cleared the project at a meeting in New Delhi on June 19.
Of the Rs 449 crore programme, Rs 283 crore comes as Union government funds. “The annual work plan and budget for 2020-21 submitted by the state government was accepted by the Centre without any changes. The central assistance this time is Rs 66 crore more than the previous year,” said director of general education Jeevan Babu K.
The Union government representatives were in awe of the successful and creative implementation of the noon-meal programme in government and aided schools in Kerala. The practice of providing milk and egg to students as part of the programme was appreciated very much. The practices of providing breakfast to students, setting up of kitchen gardens, lab test of food samples, training sessions to cooking staff also impressed the central team. The meeting of central-state government officials was held via videoconferencing.
The programmes proposed by the state government for setting up kitchen gardens in 9,025 schools in 2010-21 academic year got the stamp of approval. As per the scheme, every school would get Rs 5,000 for setting up a vegetable garden. The Centre has also approved the education department’s proposal to distribute locally available fruits to school students during seasons.
Union government has promised to consider sympathetically a few other proposals such as increasing the central share in the honorarium of cooking staff from existing Rs 600 to Rs 4,500 and central funding for construction of dining halls in schools. Free noon meal is given to all children in classes up to 8th standards in government and aided schools in the state. According to government statistics, over 95% students attending public schools claim the benefits.