In a major policy shift, the Orissa government on Tuesday took away the responsibility of implementation of mid-day meal (MDM) programme from the women and child development ministry and placed it under the school and mass education department.
The shifting of responsibility comes in the wake of raging controversy over alleged irregularities in procurement of dal by the women and child development department and this move by the Naveen Patnaik government is seen more as damage control exercise than to really help the beneficiaries.
Coming under severe criticism from the Opposition on alleged graft of MDM funds, the Orissa government has ordered a vigilance probe.
"The managerial responsibility of the MDM programme will now be handled by the school and mass education department ," school and mass education minister Pratap Jena said after a high level meeting chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik here.
Emphasising on better supervision and functioning of the programme, the minister said that special officers would be appointed to supervise the whole procedure.
"It was decided in the meeting to appoint special officers to look into the whole managerial process. Self-help groups and school management along with head master of the concerned school will be responsible for procuring food items and serving cooked food to students," Mr Jena added.
It was also decided in the meeting that different food items would be served to students on six different days of a weak to ensure quality and good attendance," the minister said.
The minister informed that from the current academic session each girl student studying in Class X will be given Rs 2,600 for buying bicycle. Besides, boys in tribal sub-plan will also be given similar monetary assistance for bicycles. The money will be deposited in the personal accounts of the students, he added.
The meeting, taking note of the discontentment of parents over delay in supply of text books in the last academic year, resolved not to repeat the mistake and ensure that the study materials reached schools much before the new session began.
"We have already started sending books to schools. Class seven students in each block across the state have received the books while others will get them (books) after the summer vacation," the minister said.
The shifting of responsibility comes in the wake of raging controversy over alleged irregularities in procurement of dal by the women and child development department and this move by the Naveen Patnaik government is seen more as damage control exercise than to really help the beneficiaries.
Coming under severe criticism from the Opposition on alleged graft of MDM funds, the Orissa government has ordered a vigilance probe.
"The managerial responsibility of the MDM programme will now be handled by the school and mass education department ," school and mass education minister Pratap Jena said after a high level meeting chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik here.
Emphasising on better supervision and functioning of the programme, the minister said that special officers would be appointed to supervise the whole procedure.
"It was decided in the meeting to appoint special officers to look into the whole managerial process. Self-help groups and school management along with head master of the concerned school will be responsible for procuring food items and serving cooked food to students," Mr Jena added.
It was also decided in the meeting that different food items would be served to students on six different days of a weak to ensure quality and good attendance," the minister said.
The minister informed that from the current academic session each girl student studying in Class X will be given Rs 2,600 for buying bicycle. Besides, boys in tribal sub-plan will also be given similar monetary assistance for bicycles. The money will be deposited in the personal accounts of the students, he added.
The meeting, taking note of the discontentment of parents over delay in supply of text books in the last academic year, resolved not to repeat the mistake and ensure that the study materials reached schools much before the new session began.
"We have already started sending books to schools. Class seven students in each block across the state have received the books while others will get them (books) after the summer vacation," the minister said.
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