Madras High Court poser on noon-meal scheme

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the State and Union governments to come up with a plan to distribute nutritious cooked food to beneficiaries of the noon-meal scheme at government schools.

The issue pertains to NGO Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group, moving a plea seeking to provide nutritious food to all children across the State who earlier benefited from the mid-day meal scheme. The petitioner also sought  the food to be delivered to children at each of their homes. 

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy observed, “The matter is of some importance and is urgent. Schools have remained closed for nearly a year and half now and children cannot congregate at schools for midday meals.

At the same time, several families, particularly those in the lowest strata, have been hard hit. The main meal of the day, which previously cost the parents nothing, has to be now arranged.”