Cabinet favours mid-day meal scheme for Std 5-8 students

Panaji, Jun 16 (UNI) The Goa government today decided to benefit as many as 86,782 school students from standard fifth to eighth in the backward areas with a mid-day meal scheme with immediate effect.

Announcing the decision in a briefing to reporters after a cabinet meeting, chief minister Digambar Kamat said the scheme would hitherto be available to 76,000 children studying up to fourth standard in the government and aided schools.

The government further decided in-principle to extend the scheme for the benefit of the students from standard eighth upto 10th of the backward areas in due course.

With the cabinet also deciding to double the money to be spent on each beneficiary to Rs five, it would cost the state exchequer Rs 9.54 crore per annum, he said.

As part of streamlining the scheme, the authorities would identify the genuine Mahila mandals and self-help groups in each taluk, who could directly serve the students instead of going in for a contract system that had hitherto been monopolised by some vested interests, the Chief Minister added.

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