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In order to improve (i) enrolment,
retention and reduce drop out of
students in primary classes and (ii)
to improve the nutritional status of
primary students, the Govt. of
India, launched ‘NATIONAL PROGRAMME
OF NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT TO PRIMARY
EDUCATION (MID DAY MEAL SHEME) on
2-10-1995 (effective from 15-8-1995)
country- wide. Under this Scheme,
students of primary classes were to
be provided wheat @ 3.00 K.G per
student per month (for 10 months in
a year) subject to 80”% attendance
initially and the states were to
switch over to providing cooked meal
within two years but like many other
states, Govt. of Punjab did not
switch over to providing of cooked
meal inter alia due to paucity of
funds involved in the conversion of
food grains into cooked meal. A writ
petition (civil) No. 196/2001 was
filed by ‘Peoples Union for Civil
Liberties’ in the Hon’ble Supreme
Court of India who has ordered to
provide cooked meal to all the
students of primary classes.
In compliance to the above orders of
Hon’ble Supreme Court of India the
Govt. of Punjab started providing
cooked meal to all students of
primary classes in Govt. and Govt.
aided schools of the State from
September 2004. For this purpose a
sum of Rs. 6.66 crores during the
financial year 2004-05 were released
to all the Deputy Commissioners of
the State for the implementation of
this scheme at District level &
during the current financial year
2005-06 a sum of Rs. 13,09,86,000/-
has been sanctioned towards
conversion cost by the finance
department for providing cooked meal
under this scheme. |
