PremiumNEW DELHI: The education ministry on Friday approved a proposal of monetary assistance to over 100 million government school students under the mid-day-meal programme.
This will be done via direct benefit of transfer (DBT) to all eligible children, as a special welfare measure.
“The Central government will provide additional funds of about Rs1,200 crore to state governments and union territory administrations for this purpose," the education ministry said.
“This one-time special welfare measure of the union government will benefit about 11.8 crore children studying in class I to VIII in the 11.2 lakh government and government aided schools across the country," the ministry said.
Since, the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic last year, several states have been transferring assistance for the mid-day meal scheme for students largely to their parents’ bank account. But there have been concerns that in rural India, lakhs of 'Jandhan' accounts may have gone dormant leading to bouncing of the aid transferred.
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