Srikakulam: Midday meal items' supply during lockdown hits roadblock

Srikakulam: Distribution of food items under midday meal scheme to students from Class I to X at their doorstep during lockdown has become a burden and time consuming exercise.

In the wake of lockdown due to Corona pandemic, the schools were closed from

March 19. With an aim to provide nutritious food to students, the government directed teachers, welfare assistants, secretariats and volunteers in rural

and urban areas to distribute rice, eggs and sweet laddu made of

groundnut at the doorstep of the students. A total of 22 working days were calculated from March 19 to April 23 for supply of midday meal goods. As per government guidelines, a student of primary level up to Class V is eligible to get 2.7 kgs of rice, 22 eggs and 13 sweet laddus made of groundnut. A student studying from Class VI to Class X is eligible to get 4.05 kgs of rice, 22 eggs and 13 sweet laddus. About 2.3 lakh students have been availing midday meal scheme in all schools across the district.

Teachers of the respective primary and high schools procure rice, eggs and sweet laddus from the concerned agencies. In turn, they shift the goods to the villages and wards where students are residing and distribute them with the assistance of village and wards volunteers and welfare assistants.

The volunteers and welfare assistants have already been

engaged in Corona suspects' identification duties like door-to-door survey, gathering details of newly arriving persons, delivery of regular ration items and distribution of government's Corona aid and pensions. "Teachers are putting pressure on us for distribution midday meal items. At the same time, we have to do our regular Covid-19 duties," complain village volunteers of Ragolu and Singupuram villages in Srikakulam rural mandal. As a result, distribution of midday meal scheme items is getting delayed in

several villages. In addition to it, eggs and sweet laddus are not being supplied properly in all mandals. Teachers in Laveru, Meliaputti, Veeragattam and Kaviti mandals said that egg supply was not proper and they have been visiting the same

village twice or thrice for distribution of items to students.

When contacted, district educational officer K Chandrakala explained that they will rectify problems and complete the distribution before April 23.