With 23 children in Bihar dying after consuming contaminated midday meals, the Teachers Welfare Association in Jammu and Kashmir has demanded the government to constitute a special monitoring team to check the quality of food served to children under the midday meal scheme.
The Association has also asked for a significant rise in the funds allotted for the flagship scheme so that the quality is not compromised.
"There are around 60,000 children in the state who consume the mid-day meals. We want the state government to constitute a special monitoring team comprising of nutritionist, food inspector, dietitian, doctor and members from drug testing laboratory, so that they can keep a vigil on the quality of the food that is being served to these children," state president Teachers Welfare Association Jasmeet Singh Madan said.
He added that the team should be invested with the powers to even check the vendors selling food items outside the schools.
"They should be given special powers to check the quality of food that many of the vendors sell across the city. Most of these food articles are being consumed by the student population and their life is being put at risk," he said.
Pointing out at the meagre sum of Rs 3.11 being paid as grant for each of the students in the primary school and Rs 4.65 being given for per student in middle school, Madan said: "It is not possible to provide quality food in such a meagre amount, besides. They should raise the amount in view of the soaring market prices.
