Hygienic food items included in mid-day meal

Agartala, Aug 25 (UNI) The Tripura government has introduced hygienic food in the mid-day meal scheme in the state with immediate effect.

Tripura is the only state in the country which introduced mid-day meal scheme since 1980 and continued till 1995. Following the Supreme Court's orders, the Union Government was forced to introduce the scheme throughout the country in 2003.

During 2005-06 academic year, about 5.2 lakh students were benefited through this scheme in the state. At present khichri is (boiled rice mixed with vegetables and dal) distributed among the students. But the state government has introduced non-vegetarian items including fish, egg along with dal and vegetables in the scheme for the students. Fish and egg will be provided twice a week.

The state government has constituted a monitoring committee, led by Chief Secretary R K Mathur, for maintaining a close watch on the scheme so that it would be implemented properly. A team has already been organised to look into the daily supply of food for the students.

The Tripura Government has taken this step to make the Sarba Siksha Abhiyan more popular depending on the success of the mid day meal scheme. It may be noted that more students have enrolled themselves in the schools after the introduction of the mid-day meal scheme.

In all 88,571 children, between six and fourteen years of age, were brought under the Sarba Siksha Abhiyan during the last five years.

'' The purpose of introducing mid-day meal scheme was to bring down the number of school dropouts in the educational institutions.

We have achieved great success in bringing down the ratio of school dropouts after the introduction of the scheme,'' said a top official of the Education Department.

Soon after the introducton of the mid-day meal scheme in the state in early eighties, the state government was giving free rice to the students on the basis of their attendence in the educational institutions. But now every student are availing the benefit.

The state government is spending Rs 2.30 per head, the official informed.

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