Mid-day meal scheme may cover 5.5 cr more children

The human resource development ministry plans to extend the mid-day meal scheme to children in the upper primary classes in the next financial year.

This would mean an additional 5.5 crore children under the scheme, for which the ministry has asked the Planning Commission for a budget outlay of Rs 13,000 crore in the next annual Plan period, sources in the ministry said.

At present, the scheme is catering to around 12 crore children studying in classes I to V in all the government, local body and government aided schools, and Education Guarantee Scheme and Alternative and Innovative Education centres across the country.

In the Union Budget of 2006-07, the outlay for the scheme has been increased by 60 per cent, from Rs 3,345 crore for 2006-06 to Rs 5,348 crore for 2006-07.

"We want to provide all the schools under the programme with infrastructure like permanent kitchens, utensils and other requirements in the next Plan period," sources said. The ministry has asked for an allocation of Rs 60,000 crore for the scheme for the Eleventh Plan.

"Apart from this, we want to extend the programme up to the secondary level of education, as mentioned in the National Common Minimum Programme," sources added.

Changes have been introduced in the scheme to make it more transparent and responsive to the students' parents and members of the community. Under the new guidelines, the scheme is to converge with the National Rural Health Mission for necessary interventions such as regular health check-up, supplementation of micronutrients and deworming medicines.