The issue of inadequate fund allocation for providing proper midday meals to children was today raised at the maiden meeting of an empowered committee, set up after the Bihar tragedy last year.
The meeting, chaired by HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju, decided to place more emphasis on quality, hygiene and safety aspects of the midday meal even as Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor is understood to have voiced concern over the paltry resource spent per student towards cooking cost.
Sources said Tharoor wondered if the funds utilised per student was enough to meet the standard and nutritional aspects of the cooked food, with Bihar Education Minister P K Shahi supporting him.
The midday meal guidelines provide for cooking cost at Rs 3.34 for primary classes and Rs 5 for upper primary classes per child per day for purchase of pulses, seasonal green leafy vegetables, salt, oil, fuel etc.
The committee favoured utilising the nearest emergency trauma services in case of any untoward incident as delay in providing treatment to the children was believed to have increased the fatalities in the July tragedy that had left 23 children dead after eating contaminated meal.
