"In 1999-2000, 40.29 per cent students dropped out from classes I-V, while it was 28.86 per cent in 2009-10," Minister of State for Human Resource Development E Ahamed said in reply to a question.
From classes I-VIII, the dropout percentage was 55.15 in 1999-2000, while the figure dropped to 42.39 in 2009-10. For classes I-X, the figure of dropouts was 67.02 in 1999-2000, which came down to 52.76 in 2009-10, he said quoting from a data released by the HRD ministry.
As per the provisional data for 2009-10, the percentage of dropouts between classes I-X in Sikkim is 80.73, while it was 77.89 per cent in Meghalaya and 77.60 in Assam.
In response to another question, Ahamed said the minister received 34 complaints related to various irregularities in mid-day meal scheme in 2011.
These complaints had been sent to the states and Union Territories concerned. Of the total complaints, 21 were found to be baseless while action had been taken in other cases, he said.