Image has been used for representational purpose only. , Photo credit: The Hindu
in the midst of an ongoing controversy over irregularities in Mid Day Meal Scheme in West BengalA central government team reached the state to see the implementation of the scheme.
A 13-member team, comprising officials from the Union Ministry of Education and PM Poshan Yojana, and members of NGOs visited a school in the state’s North 24 Parganas district on Monday.
A team official who visited Banmalipur Primary School in Rajarhat described the development as a “routine visit” and said such reviews happen every year in states. “We will try to visit more and more districts. Today is the first day of our journey.
The officials also inspected the cooking process and the food prepared for the school children. The team is likely to stay in the state till February 6.
Read also: West Bengal government diverted MDM funds for compensation to victims of Bogatui violence: BJP
Leader of the Opposition Shubhendu Adhikari had alleged that the funds allocated for the mid-day meal scheme were diverted to other schemes. Mr Adhikari alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee diverted funds allocated for the mid-day meal scheme to provide compensation to the survivors of the Bogatui violence. He said that he would bring the matter to the notice of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Apart from allegations of irregularities in planning, there have also been reports of unhygienic practices during food preparation.
Under the PM Poshan Yojana, the central government recently allocated Rs 372 crore to the state to provide nutrition to school students. Impressed by the state’s performance in the implementation of the mid-day meal scheme, state education minister Bratya Basu said the Center released additional funds of Rs 250 crore to the school education department for infrastructure development.
Earlier, the central government had sent teams to monitor the implementation of the MGNREGA scheme in the state and to investigate alleged irregularities in the PM Awas Yojana scheme.
The Trinamool Congress had termed the sending of the central teams to the state as an act of “political vendetta”. Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha MP Shantanu Sen said, “On one hand, the Center is withholding funds to West Bengal, and on the other, they are sending such teams to the state.”
Minister and senior Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim said that children of women who cook food also eat the same food and questioned how a mother can cook unhealthy food for her children.