Jaipur: Mid-day meal department has directed district collectors to ensure quality food is served in all schools, with mandatory checks during meal distribution by a parent and a local elected representative. The order comes after reports that milk powder meant for distribution in govt schools had not been delivered.The department has instructed all districts to ensure that the school management committee constituted in every school “should be made highly active, and efforts should be made to ensure they play a pivotal role in the operation of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme.”“We have once again instructed schools to ensure that the mid-day meal must be tasted by two adults—specifically, one parent and one member of the school management committee—before it is served to students in any school,” said a senior official.The department has suggested that a roster of parents and school management committee members must be prepared and daily entries made in a register to ensure that the nutritional meal is tasted by two individuals before being served to students.The school management and development committees have also been instructed to make active efforts to “engage the local community, parents, philanthropists, voluntary organizations, public representatives, and other social groups with the PM Poshan (Mid-Day Meal) programme.”“The objective is to ensure that the committee encourages the community to voluntarily contribute or donate items such as pulses, green vegetables, fruits, grains, spices, milk, ghee, or other food materials that help enhance the quality and nutritional value of the mid-day meal,” added the official.Officials added that community participation will not only provide students with more nutritious and high-quality meals but “also foster an environment of cooperation, accountability, and partnership between the school and the community.”
