By Alex Guite
LAMKA, April 4: The working of a Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme that was introduce in accordance to the UN Charter on the Right of the Children has been grossly violated and manipulated in Ccpur district.
A study by this IFP correspondent revealed that MDM implementation was way below standard in regard to the scheme and it`s execution. Many schools in the town and its suburbs received only four or five day`s meal last year under the provision of MDM.
This year, the matter got worse and as per IFP investigation, in many far flung places, including Singat, Saikot ,Parbung ,Mualnuam, Mualum etc students have not been provided the free meal till date.
In fact, with the exception of a few schools located in the town area of Lamka which are bring provided with four or five days of the MDM in the last financial years, students in most of the other schools did even get one free meal as per the MDM scheme.
A scan of the web site of the Ministry of Human Resource, revealed that more than 25.70 lakhs people, or cook cum home helper, are employed under the MDM scheme.
Under the same scheme, almost seven lakhs kitchen cum store have also been constructed, the website said.
As on 10-01-2015, a sum of Rs. 9853.97 crore have been released by the central govt to the states for the implementation of the scheme.
In most schools in Churachandpur, there are no signs of kitchen constructed nor trained cook employed.
The MDM program was also meant to stop school dropouts, particularly in govt schools. In neighboring states like Meghalaya, much improvements have been witnessed and according to reports, school dropout has been arrested at approximately 10 per cent.
In Manipur and particularly in Churachandpur, barring some school in the towns and some very selected villages, dropout rates are still alarming.
It may also be worth recalling that MDM scheme came into being after the Central Government passed an order in 2005 which directed the States to implement the scheme in the lower primary level and then later to Junior High Schools.
On November 28, 2001 the Supreme Court of India, also passed an order stating “We direct the State Governments/Union Territories to implement the Mid-Day Meal Scheme by providing every child in every Government and Government assisted Primary School with a prepared mid-day meal.”