Child rights activists and experts, who strongly oppose the decision of the Ministry of Finance to withdraw the subsidy for LPG cylinders for the mid-day meal scheme, say the move will be a setback to the scheme and lead to malnutrition among children, especially those in rural areas.
In a communication dated May 15, the Union Finance Ministry said that LPG cylinders for the scheme would be available only at market price from April 1. The additional expenditure would not be reimbursed by the Centre.
V. Suresh, Food Adviser to Tamil Nadu appointed by the Supreme Court, says that if there is no subsidy for gas cylinders, schools and Anganwadi centres will have to pay from their limited funds.
“ Slowly the practice of serving ‘fresh hot cooked food’ using locally available ingredients will be given up… There are numerous studies that fresh food cooked is best for children as nutritive value will be preserved and chances of contamination are less,” he says.
K. Shanmugavelayudham, convener, TN-FORCES said the move could lead to schools and Anganwadis switching over to using firewood, which would increase pollution. “If they use firewood, cooking will be invariably done in the open and affect the children. The State government should either provide the additional amount or go for solar and biogas powered kitchens in schools,” he said.
Tamil Nadu is a pioneer in the mid-day meal scheme. The programme was introduced in 1925 in the Madras Municipal Corporation, says the Ministry of Human Resources Development. At present, over 42,500 noon meal centres and 54,400 Anganwadi centres are covered by the Puratchi Thalavar M.G.R. Nutritious Meal Programme. Sources in the Department of Social Welfare said they have not received any communication regarding the withdrawal of the subsidy.
Noon meal workers said that already many schools that had LPG connections were forced to use firewood for cooking as the subsidy was available only for the first few cylinders. Tamil Nadu Noon Meal Scheme Employees Association State president K. Palanichamy said that schools with 100 or so students required at least four cylinders a month. “We get subsidy only for the first few cylinders after which we have to bear the difference in cost. Instead, many of us use firewood,” he said.
